Begin Again
by IShipKlaroline2598
Summary: Caroline was cured instead of Katherine and decides to go with Katherine to see exactly what is changed about her and to find out where she fits in the world. The one person who Katherine knows can help just so happens to be in New Orleans. Klaroline and Kalijah. *ON HIATUS*
1. Chapter One

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Vampire Diaries, or any of the characters from the TV show and Books.

A/N: Hello! This is the edited version of this chapter. I've been using my school holiday break to go through and do some editing to try and make each chapter seem more detailed or longer, etc.

(Previous A/N: This is a new Fanfiction I'm writing, not too sure where it's going. I've got a basic outline, but not too sure. Each chapter's named after a song so read the authors notes to find out what it is. This chapter is Wake Me Up by Ed Sheeran)

 **CHAPTER ONE: WAKE ME UP (EDITED)**

I woke up disoriented and feeling completely off kilter. I didn't know where I was or how I had gotten there, but the voice that greeted me as soon as I woke up gave me some kind of clue.

"Sleeping Beauty awakens." The voice…Katherine's voice, was bright and cheery. Definitely not what I wanted to hear in this exact moment. I rubbed my eyes and tried to figure out what had actually happened. I looked to Katherine again, checking to see if there were any notable signs of anything on her. She was immaculate.

"What happened to me? Why am I in a car with you?"

"The way I see it is your friend used a priceless cure to vampirism on her worst enemy. You just got in the way and now you're human instead of me."

Katherine's tone would almost be sympathetic, you know, if it wasn't lathered in a thick coat of bitch and a hint of condescension. I rolled my eyes and shifted from laying down into a sitting position. My body ached with numerous thuds and strains along the lengths of all of my muscles. All of the physical pressure I was under yesterday was catching up on my now weak body. I couldn't understand why I felt so weak, I didn't even remember what happened after I left Klaus at the graduation. Then it dawned on me what Katherine had said. The cure. Which meant I was human. Human, not a state I ever thought I'd ever be in again.

Katherine sat in the drivers seat of the SUV, window down and some god awful music playing in a foreign language. Music that Katherine seemed content with. From where I was sitting in the backseat I could see Katherine was dressed in her usual jeans, dark coloured t-shirt, and a leather jacket to top it off. If I strained myself far enough I could see her 6 inch heels pressed against the pedal.

When I turned my head to look further into the car I saw that on the passenger seat sat a duffel bag. My duffel bag. The one I kept in the back of my closet and barely ever touched. Mainly because it was such an alarming shade of pink that even I was thrown off by it. It was once I looked out the window that I notice we were nowhere near Mystic Falls.

"Where the hell are you taking me? And how did you get that duffel bag from my house?" My voice was as angry as I could make it as I leaned forward to get closer to her. I felt enraged. I swore, in my head, that if she touched a hair on my mother's body I would tear her to pieces. But I quickly fell back against the seat in pain. Why did everything hurt this much?

"Okay," Katherine turned to pull up on the side of the road, "first of all I didn't go inside your house. I told your mum what happened, as myself because I thought it'd be better than pretending to be Elena, and she packed that bag for you. Second, you and I are on our way to New Orleans to visit a dear friend of mine that I think could really help you through whatever is going to happen to you now that you're human."

She turned off onto the dirt gravel that framed the road, pulling up and turning off the engine. She opened her door and climbed out, I followed her actions and joined her, trying to ignore the incessant pain that shot up my legs and hips. I stretched and my moved my muscles hesitantly attempting to make the pain go away somehow. Katherine had made her way to the back of the car by the time I reached her. She was placing the duffel bag, the one I didn't even notice her grab, in the boot of the car. I watched her closely as she turned back to face me, I wondered what her motives were for what she was doing, but I didn't focus too hard on them. She rummaged through the bag quickly and efficiently before throwing a snide comment about me looking horrendously uncomfortable. I held my tongue and changed into the clothes she had chosen for me. There was no point in saying no to a 500 year old vampire who was a hundred times for stronger than myself. Even if it was about the clothes that I wore.

Once I was changed and feeling slightly more comfortable, much to my dismay, Katherine motioned for me to take the front seat this time instead of the backseat. She waited until I was settled alright before turning the car back on and heading back in the direction I assumed was were New Orleans was. I didn't feel entirely comfortable about going to New Orleans, not with everything Klaus had told me about what was happening there, but I could only guess that I didn't have a choice in where I went now. And if Katherine said she knew someone who could help me with my transition into human I wasn't about to turn down the free help.

"New Orleans here we come."


	2. Chapter Two

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Vampire Diaries, or any of the characters from the TV show and Books.

A/N: This is an edited and updated version of this chapter. I hope you all enjoy it, and I hope I got all the mistakes out.

(Previous A/N: Thank you everyone who reviewed. This story has been in the works for a while so there should be lots of updates coming. The friendship between Caroline and Katherine is one I've thought of for a long time, probably since I saw Katherine cured at the end of season 4. I didn't like how her story ended, but I thought Caroline being human had a lot of coolways to go.

Anyway, to get to the chapter (which is my favourite so far).This is titled after Poison and Wine by The Civil Wars. A song I absolutely adore.)

 **CHAPTER TWO: POISON AND WINE.**

It was the middle of the night when Katherine shook me awake. We were in some driveway of a large, elaborate house that I could only picture as a house that Scarlet would adore. I stretched my legs and arms trying to get readjusted so that I would be able to observe my surroundings. My sight wasn't as clear now that I wasn't a vampire, I couldn't see much of anything outside of the light which was cast by the headlights and a porch light. From what I could see of what was before us the house had to be at least 2 floors with an attic, but I would say it was 3 floors. It was old, probably turn of the century, early 1900's plantation. A beautiful Victorian lattice surrounded the porch and the balcony that protruded from the second floor. The building was magnificent, off-white with dark detailing, it sat surrounded by a large forest which I would guess was the old plantation from back in the old days.

"Where are we?" I unbuckled my seatbelt and moved to open my door. Katherine followed suit, ignoring my question and pausing. She didn't go any further than standing outside her car door, taking deep breathes and looking as if she was trying to convince herself to walk into a dangerous situation. I felt uneasy and my whole body automatically tensed at the idea of Katherine Pierce being uncomfortable with something. The possibility of this being a trap sprung to mind and I got angry fast. "Katherine, where are we? Who lives here?"

It took a moment for Katherine's unsettles face to look up and answer. "This is an old plantation built in the slave days, while my witch friend figures out what's going on we'll be staying here."

"That doesn't explain why you look more scared now than I ever saw you with the threat of the originals." I snapped at her, my panic taking control and seizing my body.

"No, you're right." She murmured, only just so I could hear her. "I'm nervous because this plantation is owned and inhabited by someone I fear above all of the Mikaelson family. My daughter."

Katherine pushed herself off of the car and started for the door of the house. I was stunned. Her daughter? Had I heard her wrong? I mean, Katherine's daughter had surely died hundreds of years ago. I rushed over to Katherine, who was now walking up the stairs to the porch, and I reached her just as she held her hand out towards an old doorbell. A doorbell that consisted of a long rope and an actual bell. We only had to wait a moment, the bell was still ringing, when the large wooden door slowly opened to reveal a dark haired, dark skinned woman, who shared a remarkable resemblance with Katherine. It amazed me how much she actual looked like her. As soon as the woman caught sight of Katherine her face filled with absolute shock and she sighed sadly.

"Katerine, I'm surprised to see you here. In the middle of the night. Without any warning at all." She sighed again, leaning casually against the door and staring directly at Katherine, not sparing a glance in my direction.

"I wasn't sure if you would still be here if I had called ahead. I didn't want to risk you running off on me." Katherine looked…unsure of herself. And as I watched in on them speaking I thought about how strange and out of character her actions were for her.

"You were afraid of me running off?" The woman's hands flew up in aggravation. "Last time I checked you were the one who ran away from me."

"Nadia, you really don't—"

"Don't what?" Dark red and blue veins began to appear under Nadia's eyes as she got angrier and angrier at Katherine. I had the urge to step back away from them, but I stood firmly and keeping absolutely still. "Understand? Of course I don't understand/ I don't understand how you could leave after finally being reunited, I don't understand how you could abandon me again!"

"Abandon you?" Now it was Katherine's turn to get mad as the veins appeared beneath her eyes. "It was never my decision to leave you. We went over this last time we met Nadia."

"You ran off last time we met."

"To protect you."

"I am 500 years old, I am perfectly capable of protecting myself."

"Not from the type of people who are my enemies."

"I'm sure that I could—"

"Woah! Ladies!" I yelled, forcing myself to push my worries aside and step between the two of them. They both stared at me like they hadn't noticed I was standing there. Shocked at the interruption to their fight. "Calm down, the both of you. Katherine we get that you've been on the run for 500 years and have a tendency to piss people off. Nadia, you obviously have abandonment issues, which is quite reasonable considering who your mother is. Now why don't we all go inside, because quite frankly I'm freezing, and talk about this."

"Fine, but only because it is the middle of the night, and you seem to be a lot more decent than my mother." Nadia stepped aside and I walked straight through the front door and stood to the side, but Katherine stood in the doorway unable to pass through due to an imaginary wall.

"Okay," Katherine laughed in a sarcastic tone, putting her hands on her hips, "who owns this house?"

Nadia turned her head to face behind her, calling out in a language I didn't understand. A moment later a small woman came into view. She was young, no older than 16, and she was definitely beautiful. She had dark caramel skin and rich auburn hair, that hung in ringlets past her shoulders. When I met the girls eyes they shined a brilliant gold, not supernatural gold like a hybrid, a natural honey gold. She looked to Nadia for instruction and tilted her head slightly to the side. Nadia gave her a small sharp nod and the girl opened her mouth.

"You may come in if you please." Her accent was thick and rough, much like Nadia's, and as Katherine passed her on her way into the house she replied in what I could only assume was the young woman's native tongue.

Once we all inside Nadia led us through a magnificent entryway hall that looked fit for royalty. The ceiling was high with an old and rustic type of chandelier hanging down in tiers of lights. The walls had old painted portraits sitting on them, one of Nadia hung at the top of a grand staircase, it loomed down on us with her stern facial expression. We walked past the stairs and down to the back of the room where a door sat almost hidden in the shadow the staircase made. The room that she led us into happened to be a small lounge type of room. Unlike the front of the house, the room was quaint and much less…dramatic. Nadia motioned for the two of us to sit on an antique, faded, black couch. Katherine and I didn't hesitate to take the seat we were offered.

"Would either of you like something to drink?" Nadia poured herself a glass of wine and looked to us as she asked the question. We both agreed at the same time, watching as our glasses were filled. When we both had our glasses in hand, and Nadia was sitting opposite us, it took a while but Nadia was the first to speak. "Why are you here Katerina?"

"I came to see my only daughter." Katherine lied, taking a long sip of her wine. The tell-tale smirk she used when she was telling a lie. "Is that too unreasonable?"

"Okay." Nadia nodded and stared at me for a moment. "Now, why don't you both tell me the truth? I know a lie when I see one. Why are you here, in the company of a human? Of all things Katerina, it is not like you to hang out with humans. What were your words to me, 'they only slow me down'."

"That human is sitting right in front of you. And although my hearing has gotten slightly worse recently, I can still hear you perfectly fine." I snapped, placing my glass on the table, not having any of this being talked about but not talked to. Especially when I was sitting in the room. Katherine shook her head at me in amusement.

"I am here to see you Nadia, but I'm also here to see a friend of mine in New Orleans. She's going to give me some much needed assistance. Caroline, the human, is here because she's recently been cured of her vampirism and is going to need some help figuring out what that exactly means."

Nadia and Katherine slipped into an eerie silence, both of them had non-wavering eye contact as they sipped on their glasses of wine. I took a small sip of the wine in my own glass. It was rich and bitter, but good. I leant back in the chair, enjoying how comfortable it seemed considering how old it probably was. I looked between the two of them, focusing on Nadia, it was amazing how much she looked like her mother. Her hair was the same shade of brown and her skin was the same olive tone, her face almost a mirror image of Katherine's. Her eyes were the key difference. They were bright emerald green. It wasn't something you would miss. She was so young, younger than me and Katherine, it made me wonder how old she had been when she had turned.

"Cured how?" Nadia asked, having finished her glass completely and just bring the bottle back to the chair with her. I took another small sip from my own glass, pacing myself due to the intolerance I now had. "It's impossible to be cured of vampirism, and if it was possible I'm sure it would be common knowledge in the vampire world."

"The thing is, an ancient witch Quetsiah, of the Bennett family line, turned her true love Silas into an immortal. He betrayed her by using that immortality spell or potion to turn his one true love immortal, which wasn't Quetsiah it was a girl called Amara, and she was the first Petrova doppelgänger. Quetsiah had the cure made and gave it to Silas so that he would cure himself and die, but he refused and eventually he desiccated and 2000 years later he's awake and Caroline is cured." Katherine took a deep breath and poured the rest of her glass into her mouth, taking a loud gulp. I watched them both again, my eyes moving from one to the other as the mother studied her daughter. I wondered why Katherine was reluctant to be close to her daughter now after all these years apart.

"So," I started, breaking the complete silence and snapping them both out of their staring contest. They both turned to face me, staring at me again as if they forget I was there, "You look quite young, how old were you when you turned?"

Katherine flinched and choked on the gulp of wine she was still in the process of swallowing. Nadia let out a high pitched, almost maniacal, laugh. "You are very funny, I can see why Katerina keeps you around. Very honest and confident." Katherine had recovered and calmed down, rolling her eyes at Nadia. Katherine kept watching her daughter even though the green eyes turned to land on my own. "I am quite young. I was turned just before after I turned 16. Like many women of the Petrova bloodline, I had a baby young and died before I turned 20."

What she said struck a chord in me, a baby. Well, of course she had had a baby, in order for Elena to be alive and the Petrova line to go any further Nadia would have had to have at least one child for the bloodline to continue on. But it still shocked me, a baby that young, and she spoke of it as if it were perfectly normal to have a baby as a teenager. If had happened in recent times I'd understand, but 500 years ago it seemed unlikely. "How old were you when you had your baby?" I regretted the question as soon as it bounced off of my tongue and through my lips, reverberating in my vocal chords. Nadia's expression went from joking to hard and still like a stone. I'd obviously gone too far. "I'm sorry. I'm not usually this…insensitive. It's just, the idea of you being Katherine's daughter, and the fact that you alone were the one link that carried on the Petrova bloodline has made me intrigued."

Nadia nodded slowly. I assumed it was her form of accepting the excuse I had given her. "I was 14 when I had my son Misha. I was 15 when I gave birth to my daughter…Ekaterina. Misha died not long after his birth. Ekaterina lived until the age of 93, she died peacefully in her sleep of old age. I had a rather human life for an undead creature of the night."

Katherine was looking off into the distance, out the window, and out into the dark night. I guessed that she had never heard this story before, but from the argument the two had had earlier it was clear Katherine hadn't hung around long enough to hear it.

"Petrova women always lose something we love unconditionally. It's part of the curse. I lost you, you lost Misha and Ekaterina, Isabelle lost Elena, Elena lost her family. It's an unbearable torture Quetsiah placed on us when she cursed our blood." Her voice rang out in the silence of the small room. She was lost in her own thoughts, thinking about the family she never knew and the family she had lost.

We all slipped back into silence again, drinking from our glasses. I was taking my time, knowing that I didn't have the kind of tolerance anymore to drink as much I wanted to. Once the bottle was finished off, Nadia stood and waited for us to follow her out of the room. She told us that Kida, the girl we'd seen earlier at the door, would take us to our rooms where she had already taken the bags from Katherine's car. How she got the bags, I didn't know, but I was tired enough not to care at the moment. Kida entered the room, her fiery hair now set in a neat bun, much like a ballerina's. She walked Katherine and I out of the room and up the grand staircase to the second floor. We made our way slowly through winding hallways and it amazed me how big the place actually was. I supposed looks could be deceiving.

We were stopped outside two dark oak doors that faced opposite each other in the wide hallway, Kida motioned us to each go into our separate rooms. She let us know when breakfast would be the next morning, and that we would get a wakeup call in the morning. She suggested we get as much sleep as we could now. I said goodnight to Katherine and Kida, opening the door to my room. As I entered the room I looked at where I would be staying for however long Katherine deemed necessary. It was a large room, with an adjacent bathroom and a giant bed that took up most of the room. The whole room's scheme was very old fashioned and I soaked in all of the history that I could in the moments after I had first entered the room. There was a brass clock that would have had to be from when the house was first built, a portrait of young black woman, who would have to have been a slave from when the land was used a plantation.

I did what any normal person would do and I jumped onto the large bed and not-so-gracefully flopped onto my back. I stared up at the ceiling, feeling the full force of how tired I really was. I let out a deep yawn, knowing I should at least move and get under the covers. But now that I was on the bed I was too tired to do anything but sleep. I drifted slowly off to sleep, staring at the light fitting that hung above me.


	3. Chapter Three

Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Diaries, or any of the characters from the TV show and Books.

A/N: Hello again! I think this is my second update today! Yay!

I just wanted to let people who are reading this know that I haven't seen anything past the end of season 4 of TVD. I've heard a lot of stuff so I know certain things, but I just wanted to make it clear that I haven't seen any sort of people that might beexpectedto be amongst the gang in mystic falls. Like Enzo and stuff (I don't even who he is).

Anyway, this chapter is inKlaus' point of view because to be honest I really think he has a softer side. Also this chapter is named after Demons by Imagine Dragons.

 **CHAPTER THREE: DEMONS.**

The paint struck the canvas rapidly as I moved the brush at vampire speed. I had to finish this painting, I needed to see her face again. Contrary to popular belief, I did feel emotions. I felt remorse, grief, pain...love. She was so beautiful, so light,  
who wouldn't love her? As I watched her face become clearer and clearer on my canvas I had the urge to call her. I had the urge often enough, but I didn't want to disturb her. Or make her angry. It was, after all, 3 in the morning. I felt someone  
enter the room, and could feel them staring at my back and the canvas I painted on.

"To what do I owe this visit, Elijah?" I asked, placing my brush down and turning to face my older brother. "It is quite late for another argument."

"Argument, Niklaus?" He pushed himself off of the entrance and walked closer with his hands on his suit pockets. "Do we always argue?"

Reaching for my glass of whiskey I laughed. Elijah and I do tend to argue, but not any more than with our other siblings. I downed the rest of the whiskey in my glass and placed it next to my paint pallet.

"Why else would you be here?" Elijah chuckled at my response as stopped walking. He looked to my painting and I immediately felt self-conscious. After a moment he looked back to me and smiled sadly.

"You seem to be quite fond of Elena Gilbert's young friend. You have done quite a few paintings of her since we've been here in New Orleans. It's as if you miss her." His face was calm, but his tone was teasing. He was making fun of me.

"Elijah it's none of you're business, leave." Reaching for my brush and heading back to the canvas, trying to stay calm and not get angry.

"It's nothing to be ashamed or embarrassed by Niklaus." He came to stand next to the painting, studying it further. For some reason this sparked my anger further. These paintings were for me and for me alone, but what he said next calmed me further. "I've  
never seen you like this before,it's a side of you that you don't show often enough. You should call her tomorrow. Ask her how she is and don't mention her coming to New Orleans. It'll show her that you're thinking of her and that you just want  
to keep contact."

"She always assumes I want something. Besides, what if she doesn't want to hear from me?"

He stayed quiet for a moment, and I lightly painted the golden yellow into Caroline's hair. I wanted this picture to be perfect. It was Caroline laughing and smiling the night that Esther and Finn had tried to kill us all. She was so beautiful, so kind,  
so...light. My chest constricted as I thought of the words I had said to her. And what she had said to me. I focused solely on the painting, wanting to get it absolutely accurate, nothing could go wrong.

"Niklaus, I have no doubt that she wants to hear from you just as much as you want to hear from her. She's probably having the same dilemma." With that Elijah left the room, leaving me alone to think of what he had said.

I turned back to the portrait of her and sighed. Even if I did call, would she even want to hear from me? Would she be glad I called, or angry that I was bothering her in the summer before she starts college. I had seen her a little more than 2 days ago.  
I leant back and stared at the hair, deciding that it was perfect and would need no further touches. I then moved onto the detail of her face, smiling as Caroline came to life in front of me.


	4. Chapter Four

Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Diaries, or any of the characters from the TV show and Books.

A/N: Hello! This chapter isn't very long now that I read over it, but I'll update again pretty soon. The chapter is names after The Call by Regina Spector (a song from Narnia 2 which I looooove). Anyway, this chapters in Klaus' point of view again. The next chapter is in Caroline's point of view. Enjoy!

 **CHAPTER FOUR: THE CALL PT.1**

I stared at the phone for what seemed like the hundredth time this morning. I didn't know if I should call, and if I did when I should, or what I should say. The whole situation was making me anxious. Making me feel sick, and that made me angry. I snapped  
at Rebekah when she camedown for breakfast, and snapped at Hayley and made her cry. She was more emotional now that the pregnancy was coming along. Elijah didn't say anything. He just observed, like he always did.

"What's wrong with you today? You've snapped at us all more than usual." Rebekah stood in front of me, hands on her hips, pouting angrily. "Hayley didn't deserve you calling her a 'wereslut'. Where did you even get the idea to call her that?"

I scowled and thought back to when I heard Hayley called that. Caroline was ranting on about Tyler cheating on her with Hayley. That was another thing I knew I'd have to explain to Caroline when we spoke. Hayley. And the baby. She wouldn't be happy. In  
fact, she'd hate me. More than she does on any normal day. I looked back to my phone and sighed, what would she think of what I've done?

"Klaus, are you listening to me?" Rebekah cut through my thoughts, yelling directly in my face.

"Please Rebekah, I'm not in the mood for your whining."

"It's seems like all you're in the mood for is staring at your phone like a crazy person." She reached forward and took my phone off the bench and waved it around in front of my face.

"Bekah, give me the phone. Now." I growled, feeling my face change from normal to hybrid. She threw the phone at me and I caught it with ease. She rolled her eyes and turned away from me, leaving me alone again.

I opened my phone and saw that it was now 9:03 in the morning. She should be awake by now, shouldn't she? I could imagine her asleep in a nice warm bed, laying next to me. Probably naked.

I quickly shook my head to make those thought disappear. I didn't need to be thinking of that right now. I needed to keep focused and try to stay calm long enough to be able to form a coherent sentence when I finally talked to her. I made my decision.  
I would call her, and hopefully she would answer. I knew what I wanted to say, what I wanted her to say. But would either of us say it. 


	5. Chapter Five

Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Diaries, or any of the characters from the TV show and Books.

A/N: Hello! This is a late post for me (at 12:40am), but I won't have time to post it when I wake up in the morning. This chapter is called The Call Pt.2, titled after the same song as last chapter. Without spoiling the chapter too much, this is the one where they (Klaroline) speak! Yay! I personally wasn't too sure about how I went about this chapter, but I'm hoping you enjoy it, because it really does lead into what I want to happen later on. And I'd like to thank everyone who has reviewed, I really appreciate it. If anyone has suggestions or anything for the story I'mopen to it. Even if it's just something small that you want a character to say or do. Anyway, back to the story. I hope you enjoy!

 **CHAPTER FIVE: THE CALL PT.2.**

The wake up call turned out to be Kida throwing the curtains back and telling us to wake up. Luckily for me, she didn't pull me out of bed when I didn't wake up straight away. But I could hear Katherine scream through the walls as it happened. I laughed  
to myself as I pulled myself out of bed and stretched. I was still tired, but at least I got some form of sleep.

Istretched, pulling myself off of the bed and landing gently on the floor. I was still in my clothes from yesterday, I quickly removed them and rummaged through the bag to find some clothes to put on after a long needed shower. I decided on something  
comfortable, because to be honest I didn't care what I looked like, I just wanted to be comfortable.

The shower in the bathroom adjoined to the room was heaven. As soon as I got under the spray of the hot water my muscles eased and the tension that had been filling my body dissipated. I ran my fingers through my knotted hair and cleaned it to make it  
nice and presentable again. Just as I was moving to put the conditioner in my hair my phone rang with a personalised ringtone I had set myself. It was a wolf howling at the moon. Why was Klaus calling me?

I placed the bottle of conditioner down on the holder hanging from the shower wall and climbed out of the water. I wrapped a towel around my waist and reached for my phone. I wasn't sure if I wanted to answer or not, but if he was calling it was surely  
important. Right? I pressed the answer button and held the phone to my ear.

"Hello Klaus." I moved my hair to the side so I wasn't getting my phone wet. "To what do I owe this pleasure?"

"Hello, love. How are you this morning?" His tone was light and...cautious.

"I'm kind of busy at the moment, Klaus. Why don't you just say what you called to say?" I was starting to get cold from being out of the water.

"Oh," He sounded disappointed and I wondered what he looked like right at this moment. "It doesn't matter."

"No, it's just I was in the shower. I'm kind of cold out of the water."

"Cold? Vampires don't get cold love." He laughed in a rough, rustic chuckle.

"Klaus..." I sighed, not wanting to discuss this over the phone. "We should talk in person. I don't like talking over the phone. Maybe we could meet for coffee or something."

"Caroline, you never want to talk to me let alone meet in person, what's going on?" I looked up into the mirror and saw the dark circles under my eyes. I looked tired, I never looked tired and that irked me. I let out a huge breath and tried to prepare  
myself to tell him what happened.

"Something happened after you left me in the car park the other night." Something in my chest coiled up and I could feel the tears begin to fill my eyes. "I heard Katherine and Elena fighting. Katherine was gonna kill Elena, so I ran to them and pulled  
Katherine off of her, but Elena had already started to-" A sob wreaked through my chest and the tears ran down my cheeks in long streams.

"Caroline what happened?" He growled, I could almost imagine his eyes turning gold. "What did they do to you? I'll kill them!"

"Klaus..." I paused, drying my eyes and taking a deep breath. "Klaus, I'm not a vampire anymore."

He was silent, I couldn't even hear him breathing. I could only imagine what he looked like now. And it wasn't good. I stood still, staring at myself, hoping he would just speak already.

"Elena cured you." The voice was broken, almost like he was crying. "Are you still in Mystic Falls? I'll come and see you."

I thought for a moment. Should I tell him where I was? Should I tell him who I was staying with? I sighed and ran my fingers through my hair. There was always a dilemma.

"I'm not in Mystic Falls at the moment. I'm staying with a friend, but I'm close to New Orleans. I can come and see you if you want." I held my breath as I waited for his response, eager to see him for some reason.

"No, I'll come to you. Tell me where and I can be there soon."

"No!" I turned on my feet, facing the other way and leaning my back on the bench. "Um...the people I'm staying with probably don't want you to know where we are."

"Who are you with?"

"Oh, well." I took a deep breath in and out and thought of how to tell him who I was with. "Well...after the cure was shoved down my throat I kind of passed out and when I woke up I was half way here with Katherine. Which isn't that big of a deal, really.  
But you can guess why she doesn't want you to know where we are. It really would be better for me to come to you." I knew I was rambling, but for some reason I couldn't stop. "Katherine's been quite nice to me and I don't think that hospitality is  
strong enough to let you know where she is. You have, after all, been chasing her for 500 years. So you can see it from her point of view right?"

Once I was finished I regretted almost every word I said. Klaus had a very mean temper and I'm sure that if he wanted to find me he'd use a witch to track me down. Telling him I was with Katherine would just fuel his fire.

"Katherine? Are you serious? Caroline where are you, I'll come and get you and keep you safe?" His panic was cute, albeit unnecessary. I pictured him in my head. He really was good looking.

"Klaus, it's fine. Really."

"Caroline," he growled, commanding, "let me help you."

"I don't need your help Klaus. I just want to see you."

"Fine." With that he hung up.


	6. Chapter Six

Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Diaries, or any of the characters from the TV show and Books.

A/N: Hello! Here is chapter six (in Klaus' point of view). The chapter is titled after Young and Beautiful by Lana Del Rey. Also, I wanted to ask for any reviews with opinions on how Elijah speaks in this chapter. I'm not entirely sure whether or not  
it turned out like him, and I don't want him sounding unnatural. Anyway, please enjoy!

 **CHAPTER SIX: YOUNG AND BEAUTIFUL.**

I threw my phone at the opposite wall and yelled in anguish. I reached for the painting of Caroline I had just finished and went to throw it at the same wall but was stopped by a suited arm. Elijah took the painting from me and placed it behind him. I  
turned around to face him and he looked at me sadly.

"Niklaus, I really don't think you want to do that." He pulled his sleeves down to straighten them up and adjusted his collar. "Now, why don't you tell me what exactly is wrong."

I snatched a bottle of whiskey from the table and threw it back to guzzle it down. I needed to vent...badly. Or maybe just kill an entire town. But no doubt Elijah would stop me from leaving the house. I finished the bottle and threw it at the dark rich  
wall that faced behind him and growled. I'd need more to stop from becoming violent. I started to storm past Elijah and go down stairs to the main floor where the bar was, so I could get another bottle, but he grabbed my arm forcefully and pulled  
me back in and onto the chair.

"Niklaus!" He pushed me back down when I tried to get up. He stood in front of me, in his trademark suit, with an expression that could make anyone shrink back in fear. "Why must you constantly resort to breaking and killing things in your anger? You  
over react about the littlest things!"

I growled and flashed my eyes at him, a threat that usually worked on anyone who tried to cross me. He scoffed and did the same, but recovering far quicker and then straightening his cuffs in a polite manner.

"Now that that's done with," he moved his tie to the centre of his shirt and fixed his collar, "what has got your tail in a knot."

I cringed at his bad pun and shook my head. I still couldn't get over the phone call. Human. It was almost unbelievable. In fact, I wouldn't have believed her if it wasn't for her crying. How could she of all people, Caroline Forbes, be a human? How could  
Elena even think to waste the cure on someone like Katherine. Not that I was sympathising with Katherine, I still despised her, but Elena was stupid to even try to cure her. I wasn't sure how to get the words out, how to tell Elijah, to tell anyone,  
that Caroline was now human because she was saving the doppelgänger.

"Caroline," the painting of her stared through me as I waited for the words to form on my lips, "I called her and she..." I paused, thinking about wording this carefully. I'd need to word it as carefully as possible for Elijah to not go all protective  
on Katherine, like he usually did when she was mentioned. "Caroline broke up a fight between the two doppelgängers, Katherine and Elena the other night. She pulled Katherine off of Elena and Elena accidentally shoved the cure down Caroline's throat  
instead of Katherine's. She's human."

Elijah's face flashed with worry and pain. Understandable considering he had broken up with Katherine before coming here and still walked around with the weight of his decision. I watched and waited for his response to come, his face slowly returning  
to normal with a sigh.

"What did Katherine do to warrant Elena to try to cure her?" His question was directed straight at me, as if I would ask Caroline how Katherine was.

"I wasn't really thinking about Katherine when Caroline told me. I had more appropriate questions like 'how are you?' and 'where are you?' Let alone asking 'how is Katherine taking the fact she almost became human?'" I snapped, using my most condescending  
tone.

"Niklaus, is that really necessary. A simple 'no' would suffice."

"All I know is that she's somewhere close to here with Katherine at someone's house. She didn't tell me any details. She said Katherine wouldn't want me to know. Otherwise I would be there now instead of being here with my 'tail in a knot.'" He let me  
stand now, too interested in his own thoughts to be afraid of me rampaging.

I walked around him and picked up the painting I had done of Caroline. I held it up level to my face and stared at her vibrant smile. God-knows how she truly felt about being human. But I knew that I didn't want to live the next 1000 without her in my  
life. I placed the wall on a table that sat against the side wall of my studio. It sat amongst 17 other paintings and drawings of her, each one wearing similar expressions. I was baffled by the feeling that welled up in my chest. I couldn't lose Caroline.  
She was the good, the one thing that brought me pure happiness in life.  
Elijah patted me on the back and came to stand beside me.

"You'll find a way Klaus. You always do."

I only hoped he was right.

A/N: Hello again! I just wanted to add a note that Elijah doesn't call Katherine Katerina anymore for a reason that you'll find out more about that in later chapters.


	7. Chapter Seven

Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Diaries, or any of the characters from the TV show and Books.

A/N: Hello! Sorry I didn't update yesterday. I went out to dinner with my family and by the time I got home I didn't have time to edit the chapter and post it before I went to bed.  
I just want to take a moment to thank everyone who has review and given their opinions on the story. It encourages me to write knowing you guys like it! It means so much.  
Anyway, this chapter is in Katherine's point of view. I hope you enjoy and please keep reviewing!

 **CHAPTER SEVEN: HISTORY.**

This was more awkward than I thought it would be. I mean, I've been in some pretty awkward situations over the past 500 years, but nothing topped this. We were seated across from each other at a large dining table, something left over from the early 1900's  
when the house was made up of dozens of people, staff and slaves. It felt as if there were thousands of miles between us even though in truth it was only a couple of metres. She was staring straight at me, sipping blood from a wine glass. My daughter.

Still, whenever I thought of the fact that she was alive and turned into a vampire just for me, it made my heart ache. I sighed gently and grabbed my own whiskey glass of blood. I didn't know how to proceed and it was clear she didn't either. You can't  
make stuff like this up.

"Miss Petrova," a timid accented voice came from the entrance. Both Nadia and I looked up at the same time. I knew she was talking to Nadia because she had said it in a way one speaks to their boss, "Im making some waffles for Caroline but will you and  
Miss Pierce be wanting human food for breakfast?"

Nadia told the young girl no and looked to me for a response. I turned to her, staring directly into her bright gold eyes, and told her I'd love some. I really did enjoy food, and it would probably take Caroline's mind off of her situation a bit if she  
wasn't reminded that she's a human now. The young girl nodded slowly and turned to leave, her dark fiery hair blowing behind her as she exited quickly.

"I didn't think you'd be the type of person to eat voluntarily." Nadia finished get glass and got up to retrieve what I assumed would be more blood. "It's not like you need it to survive."

"I actually quite enjoy the taste of human food, not as much as blood, but it's still nice to have some human-like habits to fit into this world." Nadia let out a laugh and sat back into her seat, glass filled to the brim. She stared over her glass at  
me, studying my face carefully as if committing it to memory.

"So," she said, rough and throaty, sounding almost like my little sister...when she was alive. It made me sad. I could see so much of my family in her. She looked considerably like me, without being an actual doppelgänger, she had the same shade of dark  
brown hair, same tanned skin, the differences were that she was slightly taller and had her fathers eyes. A brilliant green that shone like diamonds, "you have your fathers eyes."

Her eyes shot to mine and her lips parted as she breathed out shocked. "What?" Her voice was a whisper.

"Your green eyes, they didn't come from the Petrova line, they came from your fathers." She stared at me open mouthed for a moment, shocked I had mentioned her father. I normally tried my hardest to never think of him, but staring into her eyes, the ones  
he gifted her with, made every memory resurface and dance before my eyes.

"Katerina, if you could do anything in this whole world, what would it be?"

I thought for a moment, turning my head to face his resting next to mine on the hay bale. We were in the stables, our usual meeting place, somewhere my parents would never look for me. We spent quite a lot of our time together just talking, and for some  
reason that made me feel so much closer to him. I knew the one thing I wanted, I knew from the day I had met him. I laughed gently, reaching over to caress his face.

"The one thing, in this whole world, that if want is for us to be together forever."

He smiled back and touched the hand that I held against his face. His green eyes almost twinkled in the light of the setting sun that came through the open door of the stables. He laughed back at me, removing my hand and holding it in his.

"Forever is a long time, Katerina."

"Forever will never be enough Andrei."

When I returned to reality Nadia was looking at me as if she'd just asked me a question.

"What?" I asked, putting a mouthful of waffle in my mouth and cherishing the amazing taste that hit my tongue. Instantly the taste of vanilla, caramel and a hint of cinnamon ran over my tongue and down my throat. I closed my eyes, it tasted really good.

"I asked you where you just went. You went completely out of it for a minute."

"No where," I ate more waffles, thinking about the memory and trying to shake it off. I needed to change the subject fast. I thought for a moment, scanning through a list of questions that couldn't possible return is to what I had slipped up and said.  
I figured I could ask about the building. It had nothing to do with haunting green eyes. "How'd you get this place? Were you here when it was built?"

"No," she turned to look out a huge window that sat at the front of the room, facing the trees that once belonged to the plantation. "I moved here almost 30 years after it was built. I married the son of the man who owned the plantation, we lived here  
until up until the day he died. I moved to Milan after that and have only just returned here after meeting you."

"Married? And he didn't turn to be with you?" My question came around a mouthful of cream and syrup. She turned her head from the window to stare at me. A sad smile appears of her face.

"That was a decision he made before were were married, he made it clear that immortality wasn't what he wanted. He wanted to live his human life, he didn't think people should live forever." Her expression was calm and kind of reminiscent as she spoke,  
thinking highly of her dead husband.

Andrei's words from 500 years ago ran through my head, forever is a long time. It really was when you were alone.

"Now that I've revealed some deep story of my life, would you tell me about my father?" She leant forward, eager for information. Her eyes glistened and her hands rested on the table as she lean towards me. Her father was a subject I didn't take lightly.

"Your father was a stable-boy who had pretty eyes." I placed my fork on the plate and moved to stand. "Our story wasn't nearly as nice as marrying a rich boy with a big house."

"You don't need to snap at me, okay? I'm sorry, but I've waited 500 years to meet you and I just want to know where I came from." Now she stood across the table from me, staring at me angrily with her hands still resting on the table.

I went to slam my hand down on the table and yell back and angry reply, but a loud ringing came from my leather coat pocket. I sighed and grabbed my phone, not even bothering to check who it was.

"What!" I barked, turning from the table and heading to leave the large room.

"Hello Katherine, nice to see you're in a good mood this morning." The voice made me stop in my tracks, not having moved more than a couple of feet from the table.

"Lijah," I put on my sweetest, happiest voice that I could. Feeling a sudden sense of relief at his call, "to what do I owe the pleasure?" 


	8. Chapter Eight

Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Diaries, or any of the characters from the TV show and Books.

A/N: Hello! I'm so sorry for not posting this chapter for so long. I wrote it and everything just after last time I posted, but I hated the chapter and decided to rewrite it. I've rewritten in 4 times since then and I'm still not happy. But I want to  
move on with the story. Anyway, this chapter is in Elijah's point of view and it's just really a filler chapter (hence it being so hard to write). But I hope you enjoy.

Again I am so sorry for the update being so late! Please review and give me some feedback! Enjoy!

-xox-

 **CHAPTER EIGHT: MISERY.**

I sat on a chair in front of the wall-sized window, staring out into the garden, thinking about the phone call I had just had with Katherine. It was quick, but even that brief call held insight into her plans with Caroline. I was one of the few people  
to actually understand Katherine. She told me things I knew she never told anyone. She always did. I knew that Katherine only had good intentions towards Caroline and helping her in the future. Not that my brother believed my judgement.

I felt someone entered the room and remained stiffened in my seat, waiting for her to speak. A bird landed on the railing of the porch, blocking my view of the pristine green garden that spread out vastly into the distance. We were staying at a plantation  
we had resided in over a century ago. It was close to the city, but far enough away so that we could protect our own and keep Hayley and the baby safe.

"Elijah, you haven't moved all morning. Not since you took that phone call. Are you alright?" She came to a halt next to the chair I sat in, resting her hand on her now swollen stomach. I looked over to her, meeting her eyes. Hayley was always worrying.  
I couldn't be sure if it was just how she was or if it was due to her pregnancy. She wore a light cream flowing shirt, made with a nice cotton material. It hung loosely around her bigger body and suited her brown stretch pants, that she favoured now  
she couldn't wear her normal jeans.

"I'm alright Hayley, I'm just contemplating what's going to happen next. The person I was on the phone to this morning gave me some interesting insight into some stuff she feels may happen in the near future."

I didn't mention it was Katherine I had spoken to, she didn't need to know I was still in contact with a woman who had tried to have her killed. I didn't need another set of judging eyes, I got enough shameful looks from Klaus and Rebekah on a daily basis  
due to my previous relationship with Kater-with Katherine.

"What's gonna happen? Who was it?" She placed her hands on her hips. "Klaus said we'd be laying low, for the baby."

"Well, this isn't exactly to do with us, but Klaus will undoubtedly want to get involved. Like he always does."

She went on to ask something else, but I quickly dismissed her, telling her I needed to speak to my brother and sister. I quickly left and made my way to Rebekah's room, the one she seldom left now. I knocked and waited for her reply which never came.  
I stood there for a moment, listening in to her room to see what she was doing. I could hear the slow turn of pages and her grunts of disdain that accompanied them.

"Rebekah, it's Elijah." I knocked again hoping this time she would respond. "You know I can always tell when you're reading one of my journals, why don't you open the door and we can talk."

"Go away, Elijah." Her voice was flat, bored. She was showing no interest in what I was doing or what I was there for. "I'm not interested in Klaus and his emotional ranting about God-knows-what. You can both deal with each other, whilst I sit here and  
read."

I straightened my suit jacket and pressed my hands against the door frame whilst leaning my head against the door. Thoughts of past centuries came back to me. Rebekah being upset, going to her room. Hating her older brothers, but she always gave in, always.  
She was just that curious. I waited and listened for another minute or two and she eventually sighed before standing up and coming to the door. I pushed back and stood, holding my arm out for her when she opened the door. She glared at me, her lip  
curling in disgust, but she took my arm never-the-less.

Me made our way, silently to the room we both knew Niklaus would be. His studio. Much like Rebekah and her inhabitance of her room, he spent a lot of time in his studio painting. Mostly the blonde girl he fancied so much. We walked in to find Niklaus  
guzzling down expensive scotch and painting a large portrait of Caroline. Again.

"You seem to be overusing your muse." Rebekah sneered as she let go of my arm and made her way closer to Niklaus. "I don't see the appeal to be honest."

"Rebekah, be nice to our brother."

Niklaus turned around on his stool and threw the empty bottle of scotch towards Rebekah's head. She ducked and ignored the growl he sent her way. Criticising whom Nik painted was going to make things worse before they got better.

"Niklaus I have spoken with Katherine." I walked closer to him, choosing not to look to Rebekah to see her reaction. "She has filled me in on what has been happening for her and Caroline."

"Hang on," Rebekah yelled, swinging from facing our brother to face me, "this is all about that Dopple-bitch and some blonde cheerleader who paid Nik no attention? Guys we have bigger problems than that." She glared at us both furiously before closing  
her mouth and crossing her arms across her chest.

"What did the doppelgänger have to say?" Niklaus slurred, standing to come face-to-face with me.

I decided not to correct him on her name, he knew full well what he was doing and what he was doing to me on the process. "She explained what happened to Caroline. The fight that happened between herself and Elena. She also explained that she only wanted  
to help Caroline. She plans on figuring out what the cure did to her body. Caroline is safe and that is all that matters."

"Caroline took the cure!" Rebekah screeched pulling on my shoulder to turn and face her. It was almost as if her whole atmosphere had darkened and the light annoyance that was surrounding her turned to hate. "Seriously!"

"Listen, Rebekah," I placed both my hands on her shoulders and looked down into her eyes, "yes Caroline had been cured and yes Elena intended for the cure to be taken by Katherine. But we have no idea what the cure does to someone. That is why Katherine  
has come to New Orleans. To find a witch she knows to help find out if Caroline is safe."

This time is was Niklaus' turn to pull me by my other shoulder so that I could face him. His eyes glowed gold and the veins below his eyes shon in the bright light of the studio. For someone who loved the dark and all things it hid, he spent the majority  
of his time in the light.

"Where in New Orleans?" He begged, pulling at my collar and staring into my eyes. "Where is Caroline?"

"I do not know. She wouldn't tell me, but they are planning on coming here. If you promise to behave yourself."

Rebekah watched on, her eyes never leaving the pain in Klaus' face. It was almost as if she was realising for the first time how much he truly cared for the girl. It was something I noticed not long after we had been undaggered, and something I wanted  
to protect him from. Heartbreak was inevitable in this family. It was clear he would lose her eventually. Rebekah's eyes flickered to me and then back to Niklaus.

"I just want Caroline to be okay, I need to keep her safe."

"As long as no harm comes to Katherine and anyone else that they come here with."

"Fine." He growled, pushing me back and going back to his painting. Rebekah remained quiet and when I left to call Katherine back, she turned to me and shook her head sadly.

"That woman will be the death of you Elijah."

A/N: Hello again, I just wanted to apologise again for not updating for ages. The next chapter should be up soon. I'm just about to finish writing it and editing it. See you then!


	9. Chapter Nine

Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Diaries, or any of the characters from the TV show and Books.

A/N: Hello! This chapter is in Katherine's point of view. It's a bit of fun. I hope you all enjoy. I'd also like to mention that I'm starting another FanFiction called A Thousand Years and it is a time travel fic about Klaroline. Anyway, enjoy and review.

-xox-

 **CHAPTER NINE: WHITE COLLAR WHISKEY.**

The glass of whiskey teetered on the arm of the chair I sat in as I waited for Elijah to call me back. Nadia had gone off, somewhere, probably with Kida. Caroline had come down to breakfast and was, go my knowledge, still in the dining room by herself.  
I didn't feel comfortable or safe. I didn't feel anything. I just, I wanted to be free and that would never happen. Klaus made sure of that. He made sure I would run for the rest of my life. But maybe, just maybe if I helped with Caroline he would  
grant me leniency. I did want to help her.

I sighed and grabbed the whiskey, throwing it back and reaching to refill my glass. It was strong, thick and ran down my throat easing my never ending hunger. I drank more,  
hoping the call would come soon and I could contact the necessary people in New Orleans that would help with the whole situation.

"What's going to happen?" I looked up, right into Caroline's eyes. She was dressed in what looked to be comfortable clothes. Nothing I would be seen dead in, but I suppose she didn't want to be running around in heels whilst her body adjusted to its  
new state.

"I...Elijah called before and he said he'd talk to Klaus. I'm waiting for his call back to know if it is safe for the both of us to go to town." I swirled the liquid in my glass, watching it hit the edges of the glass. "You should rest."

"I don't need rest Katherine." She urged, coming to stand before me. "I need answers."

I sighed again, staring off out the window before slowly making my way to my feet and walking through the small lounge room.

"We'll get answers, I promise." Just then my phone rang in my pocket and I rolled my eyes before putting the glass down on the table and retrieving the phone from my pocket.

I motioned for Caroline to either sit down and shut up or leave, then made myself comfortable on the couch. The caller ID read EM and I smiled, excited at the prospect of hearing his voice again so soon. I missed him dearly. I flexed my shoulders,  
put my booted feet up on the table and rested back.

"Hello again 'Lijah. What did dear Klaus have to say?" I put on my signature flirtation tone of voice, knowing he found it hard to resist.

"Hello Katherine," his voice was soft, but he still did not say my name, "I did speak with both my siblings. Niklaus has promised not to hurt you as long as Caroline is okay and that he can see her soon. He is getting anxious."

His voice was like music to my ears. I tried to remain calm, but it was hard when I loved him so much. I tried to black out the world around me and focus solely on the phone, but it was hard when I couldn't even imagine what he was doing. I was struck  
with an idea to make him squirm, some fun in the light of the situation. I almost laughed as I opened my mouth to respond.

"Tell your brother not to fret, we will be there when we can." As the sentence ended my voice went from flirtatious to sultry and I removed my legs from the table to cross them. "We should have dinner? You and me, candlelight. What do you say?"

Caroline gasped from across the room and scowled as she got up to leave the room. Elijah, on the other end of the phone call made a small noise in the back of his throat and coughed to cover it up.

"Katherine, we should talk about your plans in New Orleans." He was obviously covering up his desire. "What are you going to do? Who will you see? What witch is gonna help when they're being threatened by Marcel?"

"Why don't I tell you all about my plan over dinner. I know this nice little bed and breakfast off of the highway. We can order the perfect breakfast in the morning. What do you say?"

He let out a small chuckle and my heart sank, Elijah never laughed unless he was truly entertained. He wasn't taking my bait. "Sorry Kat-Katherine. Maybe another time, when my family isn't under threat and when my brother isn't in a homicidal, blood  
thirsty mood. You just focus on keeping Caroline safe."

"Always Elijah, when would your brother like to see her? I'm sure we could pencil something in."

I was being a bitch. Using sarcasm as a defence after what felt like a horrible rejection. I loved Elijah and all I wanted was to be with him, but I supposed I would have to wait. I stood up from the chair, no longer wanting to be comfortable. Embarrassed  
at myself.

"As soon as you can, I don't want Niklaus getting too aggressive by the time you get here. It could end badly."

"Yes, I understand. We'll try and get this all sorted and be there quickly."

We both said our farewells and the hollow feeling that always accompanied the end of our phone calls or when we parted ways, made its way into my chest. I took a deep breath and swallowed the feeling that welled up in my throat. A few deep breaths  
later I had myself composed and made my way to where I could hear Nadia and Caroline speaking. We would be going to the Mikaelsons today.


	10. Chapter Ten

Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Diaries, or any of the characters from the TV show and Books.

A/N: Hello! I just realised that for the last few chapters I haven't said what songs the chapters are named after. Anyway, chapter 7 is named after History by One Direction. Chapter Eight is named after Misery by Pink and Steven Tyler. And Chapter nine  
is named after White Collar Whiskey by Emily Wolfe (a song from the show). This chapteris in Caroline's point of view and it is named after a song from The Princessand the Frog the Disney movie and I think it's called Down In New Orleans.  
It's a good song because they go there in this chapter.

-xox-

 **CHAPTER TEN: DOWN IN NEW ORLEANS.**

Katherine came into the room slowly, staring at Nadia for a moment before turning to look at me. She stared at me only briefly. "Are you okay with going to see the Mikaelsons today. Klaus is getting edgy and I'd really like for them to not cause us trouble."

Today? As in, going to his home where he was currently living with his brother, sister, and Hayley who just so happened to be carrying his baby. Which I did know about. It was something I didn't mention at graduation, but Katherine had told Stefan and  
Stefan passed that on. I felt sick. Why today?

"Why today? Why not tomorrow?" Nadia asked, facing her mother with a drink in her hand. Were these two always drinking alcohol?

"Because Klaus has his knickers in a twist and wants to see his precious Caroline. And as much as I would love to keep him on edge, I do have a life that I would like to continue to live."

I sat up further, contemplating whether or not I should get dressed in something more pretty and presentable. I slouched back into the chair upon the decision that I didn't want to wear clothes that were uncomfortable or made me feel like my feet were  
being bound. Katherine glanced at me briefly.

"Will you be getting changed, or am I gonna have to be accompanied by someone who looks homeless?"

I glared at her, trying to incorporate as much hatred as I could in be one look. She shrugged and groaned and out a muttered 'fine' before sitting down in a chair. She watched Nadia for a second before looking back at me.

"I want to leave with the hour. I know that's soon, but we don't want to be in New Orleans when it's dark. There are certain people there that we want to avoid."

Her voice made me think. Who else, other than the original family, would we want to avoid? I knew that Katherine had an abundance of enemies, that was only natural when she was 500 years old and a major bitch. But, why bring me to New Orleans in the first  
place if it was dangerous. And as if she read my mind she smiled at me and kicked back before speaking.

"I am not worried for us. I am friends with most people on New Orleans. I just don't want to get in between Klaus and his old apprentice Marcel. They aren't getting along at the moment."

I nodded at her explanation before excusing myself. I headed through the winding hallways to the door of my room. I knew it would be best if I changed into something more presentable, I didn't want to look homeless for the people Katherine had to help  
me. That being said, I wasn't going to walk around uncomfortable all day. I decided to wear a pair of black full length leggings with a plain green tank top and a black knit cardigan. I chose to wear simple ballet flats instead of my boots. Stylish,  
yet comfortable. I also packed my handbag full of stuff I decided I may or may not need in certain situations once we got to our destination.

When I arrived back downstairs the hour was nearly up. I found Katherine and Nadia where I had left them. In the dining room, drinking whiskey and wine. When I entered Katherine gave me a once over and nodded her head in approval of my outfit. I rolled  
my eyes at her arrogance. I didn't change for her. I changed for myself.

We spoke for a little while, both women finishing their drinks, before Katherine announced it was time to go. Nadia wouldn't be accompanying us this time. She said she had important things to attend to. So Katherine and I loaded ourselves into her car  
and pulled away from Nadia's plantation. When we hit the highway I could feel Katherine's nerves heighten which, in turn, made my own do the same. I felt uneasy about this whole situation.

Katherine put her folksy foreign music back on, singing along in her native tongue. I, for the most part, sat and stared out of the window at the passing road and trees. If I was with anyone else I would have suggested we play 'I Spy', but chose against  
it due to the way Katherine seemed happy in her music.

I didn't pay attention to the time so I didn't know how long it took for us to drink into the Main Streets of what Katherine called it. The French quarter. We passed street after street and I sunk lower in my chair. We drove straight through the main  
part of town, making one stop along the way and kept on driving until we nearly came out the other end. She turned onto a dirt road, and after what felt like forever a large house came into view. It was a lot like Nadia's house, except this house  
was very much in the open. We could see it from top to toe and it wasn't shrouded in trees and woods. On the porch stood a figure, a man, wearing a black suit. I could see Katherine visibly tense and hold her breath when she saw him. I could only  
guess that he was Elijah. I had never met him when he was dealing with Elena.

We drove closer and closer and eventually pulled up next to a 4x4, a posh looking Ferrari and a vintage Mercedes Benz. Klaus joined Elijah on the porch and made his way down the stairs and towards the car. I could feel Katherine's fear and discomfort  
at his approach. I unbuckled before opening the door and jumping from the car. I flinched at the impact, my muscles contracting in pain. Klaus stopped just in front of me, studying me carefully. I could hear Katherine get out of the car behind me  
and her boots crunched on the dirt driveway as she made her way around. I turned my head to see her smirking at Klaus' face. She was eating up the fact he was worried about me. Bitch.

"So Klaus, I delivered her here today. You can put a smile on your face and thank me now." Katherine spoke with an authority to mask her fear. Teasing Klaus. His eyes shot to her and he gave her a sadistic smirk.

"Hello Katerina, tricked any brothers into loving you today?"

Katherine feigned hurt and then laughed lightly. She placed one hand on her hip and and popped it to the side. If I didn't know better I'd say she was flirting with him.

"Not today, no, but the day ain't over yet." She looked in thought for a moment and then took a few steps forward . She tapped her lip as she looked off into the distance and then she smirked at Klaus evilly. "Knocked up any more weresluts recently?"  
Klaus' teasing look vanished and his eyes shot to mine panicked. He looked back to Katherine as she let off a high pitched laugh. "Why did you think I told you there was a threat here? Of course I knew about Hayley."

She walked past him and headed towards the house, as if she ran the place. I had to laugh as well. Her whole persona was just so funny and confident.

"Oh yeah," I said, more to myself than Klaus, "that reminds me."

He looked confused as I turned around and opened the back door of the car. On the way here I had asked Katherine to stop at a little ship so I could buy a small baby gift package and a card for Klaus and Hayley. It had one of those cool diaper cakes (a  
cake made up of diapers), a little brown teddy bear, face washers, and some other little rattles and pacifiers. I may of hated Hayley and despised the fact Klaus slept with her, but when someone has a baby there's no reason to take that hatred out  
on the poor innocent child. I picked up the gift package and slowly pulled it out of the car. I turned back to Klaus and smiled. His eyes were wide with shock and horror.

"What the hell is this?" He asked, staring at the bright purple and green package.

"Oh my god!" The noticeable accent came from the doorway. I looked up to see a pregnant Hayley standing there with an awed look on her face. Klaus turned to her as if he didn't fully understand what was going on. "Is that a diaper cake?"

Hayley ran down to where Klaus and I stood and tried to take the package from my hands, I pulled back and shoved it at Klaus. Not letting the pregnant woman carry it.

"Yes! I would have tried to make one myself, with help from YouTube, but I didn't have enough notice. There's also some other little things for the baby. Oh," I reached into my handbag and pulled out the envelope with the card in it, "and here's the card."

Klaus still looked horrified and Hayley still looked awed. Shocked at what I had done. Elijah laughed from the porch, along with Katherine who still stood there. Elijah announced that we should go inside and I followed behind Klaus and Hayley watching  
Klaus struggle to see around my present.

Once we were inside Klaus led us into a small side lounge type room that held two couches and a coffee table. The room itself was attached to the main entrance and the decor was definitely a early 1900's. I sat on the edge of the couch and Katherine sat  
beside me. Klaus placed the package on the table and like a vulture Hayley was on it like roadkill. She undid the big green and purple bow at the top of the plastic rapping and slowly removed the plastic. She pulled the big brown teddy off and 'awed'  
at how cute it was. We all sat in silence as she removed each item, making some comment on them as she went. It made me happy to see that she liked it.

"Hey, who's car is that in the-" Rebekah's voice came from the door, but stopped when she entered the house and saw us all sitting there. "What the hell is Katherine doing here? And Caroline?"

I turned and smiled at her, showing off my teeth faking happiness at her presence. Klaus, who was standing by a window that faced out towards the front yard where the cars were, watched me like hawk. His eyes followed my every movement and I almost shrunk  
back to get the attention off of me. Almost.

"It's nice to see you again Rebekah. Sorry to arrive without any warning, but your brother wanted to see me. You know, because in like 70 to 80 years I'll be old and I'll die." Klaus choked and Rebekah glared. I knew she would be jealous of my new human  
state. Elijah, Katherine and Hayley all laughed at their reactions and I found myself laughing as well. "I'm sorry, but making a joke of this thing makes me feel better about my impending wrinkles."

Rebekah walked further into the room, stopping once she saw all the baby stuff Hayley was looking at, getting swept up into the baby rush. Klaus looked over towards the door where a good looking guy came in. He smiled and waved to Klaus and was about  
to say something when he stopped short. His eyes stopped on the back of Katherine's head, she was too busy facing Rebekah and Hayley and the baby stuff. He looked slightly familiar and it was then I notice the emerald green eyes.

"Katerina is that you?"

Katherine tensed and her face filled with...hurt. She flashed to her feet, turning to face the man who had entered the house. Her hand came to rest at the necklace that hung around her neck. One I noticed never left her neck. Even when she had first arrived  
in Mystic Falls it was there. Her breath caught and she swayed slowly on her feet.

"Do you two know each other?" Elijah asked, coming to stand to the side so that he could see Katherine's face.

"You could say that we once knew each other." The man said, smiling as he walked closer.

"You died." Katherine whispered, tears filling her eyes and then her eyes turning fiery with hatred. "You died, my father told me you had died in an accident on the docks. I mourned you." She came forward, around the couch to stand in front of him. She  
slapped him hard across the face. "I was exiled because of you. I lost my daughter because of you. How are you alive Andrei?"


	11. Chapter Eleven

Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Diaries, or any of the characters from the TV show and Books.

A/N: Hello! I hope you all enjoyed the last chapter. I enjoyed writing it! This chapter is named after His Daughter by Molly Kate Kestner. A beautiful song filled with emotion. The lyrics don't completely relate to the chapter, but this chapter is emotional  
and revolves around Katherine, Nadia and Andrei. The chapter is in Caroline's point of view when it's normal font and Katherine's when it's italic. I hope you all enjoy, please review!

-xox-

 **CHAPTER ELEVEN: HIS DAUGHTER.**

The room was completely silent except for Katherine's angry sobs as she stood in front of the man, Andrei. The room still rang from the words she had just spoken. He was Nadia's father. How was that possible? And why did Katherine think he was dead?

"Katerin-"

"My name is Katherine now, Andrei. You have no right to call me Katerina."

We all stayed quiet, watching the interaction between the two. Nobody dared move or speak, afraid that even one flinch would cause another outburst from Katherine.

 _I clutched my swollen stomach, feeling the child within me move and kick outwards. It was a feeling like no other, and it brought me comfort to know my child was safe and sound within my womb. It was a hot summer day, the sun blaring down on Bulgaria and on me. I sat in the paddock next to my home, listening to my mama cook lunch. My sister was in front of me playing with her small horse, the one papa got her for her last birthday. She was laughing and running, innocent in sight and mind. In the distance I could hear papa's horse approaching. I tried to stand to greet him as he came closer, but my large stomach wouldn't allow it. Irina, my sister, came running over to me and helped me to my feet. We both laughed._

 __

 _We made our way to the front yard to greet papa and Andrei. They had gone to town to arrange the marriage between Andrei and I. We needed someone to wed us. My papa was making us marry, much to his dismay, because of the child. He did not want me unwed and a mother. He came closer, but he was alone. Where was Andrei. He stopped short and dismounted his horse. His face was sad yet stoic. My stomach tightened and dropped._

 __

 _"Where is Andrei?" My voice dripped with malice. I knew my father hated him. He always had. Andrei was a stable boy and we were of a higher standard than him. "What did you do to him?"_

 __

 _My papa shook his head and motioned for my sister to go and play with her horse. She obeyed him and left us to speak to each other. My papa's face was strange, I couldn't place his expression. He reached up and stroked his grey beard, before he ran his hand through his hair. He grabbed his horse and tied it up, I watched on grasping my stomach for support. My papa started inside, knowing I would follow him. He led me into my bedroom and had me sit down on the bed. I knew something bad was coming._

 __

 _"Where is he papa? What happened?" Tears filled my eyes and my voice was choked and dripped with sorrow. My papa reached forward and caressed my stomach, feeling the baby kick. He smiled sadly and looked down and away._

 __

 _"There was an accident in town. We were at the docks trying to sort something out. A better job for Andrei so he could support you and your family properly."_

 __

 _"What kind of accident papa?"_

 __

 _"His horse was scared by the loud bell tower. It spooked and...and it trampled him. He didn't make it."_

 __

 _My hand clenched my stomach, a ripping pain shot through my heart and the tears flowed freely down my face. I sobbed openly and loudly. I didn't understand how a person who was trained to deal with horses could be trampled by a spooked horse. One he had owned for a long time. I shook my head over and over again, not believing a word he was saying._

 __

 _"This cannot be true. He was good with his horse. It would never spook like that. He is not gone." I tried to stand up, but I was dizzy with the pain my papa's words brought me._

 __

 _"I am sorry Katerina, I truly am. He was-" My papa stood up, straightening his shirt and composing himself. "He was a good man, he would have fought to keep you and that child safe. Unfortunately...now that he is gone."_

 __

 _I knew what words were coming next and another stab of pain shot through my heart. Everything hurt and the loss of Andrei made my head swim. I looked up into my fathers eyes and shook my head. I would not accept this, wouldn't let him do it. He sighed and turned around to leave the room, stopping in the doorway._

 __

 _"I will go to town again tomorrow and find someone who is better off to take your child once it is born. Then we can put this whole mess behind us."_

 __

 _He left me in the bedroom, on the bed in a pile of tears. My baby moved inside of me and in my mind I tried to make sense of everything that was happening. I couldn't lose my baby as well. I wouldn't let him take away the only thing of Andrei's I had left. I just wouldn't._

-

Andrei reached his hand up to touch Katherine's face and she stepped back, not letting him touch her. She shook her head again and wiped the tears from her eyes.

"No, I can't do this." She ran from the room and from the house. We still all sat there, Andrei stood in shock. It was only when I heard the car start up and begin to pull away that I snapped out of it and ran to past Klaus to the window. The car Katherine  
and I had arrived in was pulling out of the driveway. She was leaving me here.

"Seriously," I whispered watching as she sped away, "I should have known she would leave me here."

A hand touched my shoulder I turned to see Klaus there. He looked kind of dazed, but smiled at me softly. Behind him I saw Elijah staring at Andrei. I wondered how they all knew each other. Rebekah and Hayley went back to talking about the baby and it  
was as if they didn't even care about what had happened with Katherine. I felt so so sad that she thought she was alone in this and that she thought running was a good idea. Andrei looked down, thinking about God-knows-what. I turned back to the window  
and felt abandoned, but I understood. After everything that had happened, finding out the father of your child was alive, I wouldn't want to be surrounded by enemies either.

"You never mentioned, Andrei, that you knew the doppelgänger." It was Elijah that spoke, his words echoing through the room. "When we met you in London, a freshly turned vampire, we were searching for the doppelgänger and you never once mentioned her."  
I watched as Elijah walked towards Andrei. A predator advancing on his prey. I shivered as the tone of his voice. If I thought Klaus was the scariest original, I was wrong. The last sentence he yelled only confirmed my fear. "Why did you leave her  
in the first place?"

Klaus walked over to his brother and placed his hand on his shoulder, stopping him in his tracks. They both stared at Andrei, who stared back, shock on his face. As if he wasn't expecting this kind of reaction to the news that he knew Katherine. I felt  
anger well up in my chest. I didn't like Katherine, she was the person who killed me, but she was a person nonetheless and if he had deceived her in any way it was wrong and just plain mean. I walked forward, stepping past Klaus and Elijah to stop  
in front of Andrei. He was taller than me by at least a foot. He had tan skin, much like Katherine's and his light brown hair hung lazily on his head. His eyes shined and his lips were still parted in shock from the slap Katherine had given him.

"Do you have any idea what Katherine has been through?" I asked, nervous about being between 3 vampires who were centuries older than myself. "You need to explain to her what happened when she comes back, if she comes back. That poor woman thought you  
were dead for 500 years, she lost her daughter because of you. You had better find an amazing apology or else you'll have me to answer to. Do you understand me?" My voice dripped with hate and anger. I used my queen bee glare and stormed past him  
and out the front door, slamming it to get my message across.

 _I woke up in wet sheets with a pain in my stomach that was almost unbearable. I groaned loudly and called out for my mama. She ran into the room with my father and as soon as she saw the state I was in she yelled for my sister to boil some water and get some towels. This was it, I was having my baby tonight._

 __

 _I screamed in pain as my mama made me move out of the bed to lay the towels down. I clutched my contracting stomach and screamed as another wave of pain hit me. My mama shouted and started removing the layers of skirts I was wearing. I groaned and threw my head back, images of Andrei drifting in my mind._

 __

 _"It hurts," I cried, laying back down on the bed with my legs bent and spread wide open, "make it stop please?"_

 __

 _"You are doing great Katerina, just breathe."_

 __

 _I wasn't sure how long I laid down in pain, my mum told me that I wasn't ready to give birth yet, but I was close. She told me that when the pain came I shouldn't push, to just breathe through it. I followed her orders, ignoring my papa's presence in the doorway. My sister brought my mama boiled water and she soaked a towel in it to place on my head and on my stomach. I felt as if my insides were tearing apart. I screamed again as another contraction hit. They were getting closer and closer. My mama yelled encouraging words to me, making sure I was breathing through it._

 __

 _"It is time for you to push Katerina, when the next one hits you, you need to push as hard as you can." I nodded my head and braced myself for the next wave of pain._

 __

 _When the pain did hit I pushed and groaned out loud. Making a sound like cattle. My mama told me I was doing great and to stop once the contraction ended. The pressure on my back and hips was painful and tears filled my eyes. Every time I contracted I had to push and my mama told me when she could she the head, and the shoulders, until the baby was finally out. I breathed a sigh as I heard the cries of my baby. I looked at my mama as she cut the cord and cradled the blood and mucus covered newborn. I reached forward, begging my mama to let me see the baby._

 __

 _"It's a girl." She announced proudly, holding the precious human in her hands. I wanted...no, I needed to hold her._

 __

 _"A girl?" I leant forward, pushing through the pain and weakness. "Let me see her, I want to hold her."_

 __

 _My mama leant forward as well and went to hand me my daughter. She was inches away from my arms when my papa yelled at my mama to stop and give him the child. He said he needed to get her to her new family. I cracked. I screamed at my mama to ignore him and let me hold her. I screamed at my papa as he took her and began to leave. I begged him to let me see her just this once. Just to let me hold her the one time._

 __

 _"You have shamed your family Katerina, you will never see your child."_

 __

 _I screamed at him, cursing and crying. Sobbing uncontrollably. My mama grabbed me and told me it was for the best. Her arms cradled me as I collapsed into her, letting the after tiredness of labour to take over. I breathed and begged, losing track of time and myself. Tired and sore, I cried for the child I would never know. The one link I still had to my true love._

-

I grabbed my phone from my pocket, dialling the number I had gotten from Nadia that morning when Katherine was on the phone with Elijah. I waited patiently for her to answer. It took a while, but she finally answered with a gruff hello.

"Hey Nadia, it's Caroline. Look, something happened to upset Katherine and she's driven off and left me with the Mikaelsons. I'm okay here, I need to talk to Klaus and stuff, but do you think you could try and find her. She could use a good talk with  
you."

The door opened behind me and I turned to see Klaus emerge. He smiled softly at me and stopped to wait for me to finish my call. Nadia sighed deeply, letting her large breath go.

"Yes, I will try to find her." She replied, in a quick and abrupt way. "Do you think she will be violent?"

"No, I think she'll be upset." Klaus' head was tilted to the side. He was listening in on the call. "Just find her." With that I hung up, placing my phone back in my pocket.

"Who is Nadia?" Klaus asked, stepping closer to me with his hands in his pants pockets. "A witch?"

"No, she's not a witch. She's..." I stopped to think for a moment. Would Katherine want Klaus to know who Nadia was.

"She's...who is she?"

"She's Katherine's daughter." I replied, sitting on a wooden bench that sat against the house wall and faced out towards the front land and driveway.

"Her daughter?" He exclaimed, looking absolutely incredulous. "How is that possible?"

"It's possible because she's a vampire." I rolled my eyes and ran my hands through my hair. I decided to use the hair scrunchy on my wrist to put my hair out of my face. "Katherine only just found out about her. That on top of Andrei being alive, she's  
probably so overwhelmed right now."

"She probably just needs time and space. She'll come back for you."

"That's not what I'm worried about. I'm worried she'll do something stupid while she's emotional."

 _"Forever is a long time, Katerina."_


	12. Chapter Twelve

Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Diaries, or any of the characters from the TV show and Books.

A/N: Hello! I'm sorry it took so long for me to finish this chapter. I've been having trouble with school and my art folio is due in the next couple of days so I've been busy. I've only been able to finish it at night time before I sleep. This chapter  
is named after Bound To You from the movie Burlesque (sung by Christina Aguilera). This chapter is in Katherine's point of view, completely (not mix matched like the last chapter).

I wanted to say to the guest who commented on the last chapter and asked about the Kalijah relationship in this story. You don't need to worry I'm a HUGE Kalijah shipper. And the outcome of my story will always end in a Kalijah relationship. I hope you  
enjoy how I make their relationship develop and thank you for reviewing.

To Nikki who commented on the last chapter. I'm glad you like the way I've written Katherine's past with the whole pregnancy and Nadia's father. I always hated the way the show didn't explain him and I didn't want Katherine to have just had some one night  
stand. Thank you for reviewing.

I also want to thank TwilightHybrid for continuously reviewing on my story, your reactions each chapter make me really happy to be writing.

And thank you to anyone else who has reviewed. I will (from now on) try to reply to each review.

Anyways, I hope you all enjoy and please review!

-xox-

 **WARNING** : This chapter briefly contains vomiting and mentions of periods.

 **CHAPTER TWELVE: BOUND TO YOU.**

I drove as quickly as I could away from the house. The tears that fell wouldn't stop and my mind raced at a hundred miles an hour. Memories of Andrei and what had happened between us 500 years ago flashed in my mind. I shook my head, trying to make it  
all go away. Once I felt I was far enough away I pulled over onto the side of the road and rested my head on the steering wheel. I felt as if my whole life was a lie. Like my whole existence was for nothing. What had he been doing for 500 years? Did  
he even care about our daughter? Why did he fake his own death?

 _I ran out of the stables, the smell of the manure sticking in my nose and making me gag. I ran all the way to the tree line before I brought up all of my breakfast and lunch into the grass. I had to get down on my knees because my whole body seemed to go weak and shaky. Behind me Andrei reached for my hair to hold it back out of the way of the bile that rose from my stomach._

 __

 _"Katerina, are you okay, what is wrong?" He asked once I had finished bringing up my days meals. I shook my head and pushed he hand away as I got to my feet._

 __

 _"I am fine Andrei. You worry too much. I must have eaten something that did not agree with me. It is nothing harmful I promise." I straightened my dress and looked behind Andrei, towards the house, to see my mama staring at me funnily. I made my way back to the stables, ignoring her and ignoring Andrei's questions behind me._

 __

 _I stayed petting my mare softly, feeding him an apple carefully. Andrei wrapped his arms around my waist and rested his head on top of mine._

 __

 _"Have you bled yet, Katerina?" Andrei's words annoyed me. He knew I hadn't, and he knew that asking me would only annoy me further. We had discussed the lack of my monthly bleed a couple of days ago. Andrei seemed convinced that I was with child. And that could not be true. My family would be disgraced and I would be shamed. I sighed an pushed his hands away from my waist. I took steps away from him and turned, shaking my head at him in annoyance. He leant against the stable wall and watched me curiously. He smiled slightly, but only in a fed up way. "You have been sick every morning for the past two weeks, you have gained some weight and your boobs have also grown. Katerina I think it is time we faced the truth that you are with child. The signs are all there."_

 __

 _I growled and headed for the door to the stable. He pushed off of the wall to stop me, but I brushed him off and kept walking. As I made my way outside into the sun I turned back to face him. He stayed on the shade._

 __

 _"The signs are all in your head Andrei!" I pointed my hand in his direction accusingly and rested the other on my hip. We both knew that I knew he was right._

-

I cried for a long time, slowly the sun dimmed and began to set in the sky. I groaned and hit the steering wheel with clenched fists. I felt like I was being constricted. Like a corset was pulling tighter and tighter and stopping the blood flow to the  
rest of my body. My arms were numb, as were my legs and my head spun rapidly. I tried to catch my breathe, undoing my seatbelt and stretching my arms out wide. I opened the car door and pulled myself out to stand in the fresh air. I gasped for air  
and held my hand to my chest. I fell to my knees on the ground, placing my hands flat on the ground in front of me. My chest rose and fell fast and my brain worked in overdrive to make sense of my day.

My heart ached for Andrei, it always had. Ever so de the day that he had died. Or, well, the day he left.

He left. Those words echoed in my mind. He hadn't died all those years ago, he had made the decision to leave. I lost our daughter because he left. He was the reason I turned, the reason I went to England in the first place. The reason I met Trevor and  
Klaus and Elijah. Elijah. What was he thinking right now. I wanted so desperately to be with him. To win him back, but after my outburst did I even have a chance? He and I never spoke about my past in Bulgaria. After we got together after he found  
me when I escaped Klaus after he saved Damon, Elijah had only asked me if I had had a child the one time. And he never mentioned it again. He, and I, believed she was dead. I didn't want to discuss it, he didn't ask. But now, now he knew Andrei and  
he was bound to have questions I wasn't ready to answer.

I seemed to compose myself slightly, enough to pick my hands up off the ground and sit back on my heels. I could hear my phone ring on the passenger seat of the car and I contemplated ignoring it, but I had left Caroline with Klaus. Which was stupid.  
And I had screamed and cried at Andrei in the middle of the entrance to their house. I got to my feet, pulling myself up by the open car door. Once to my feet I brushed my pants of dirt and took a deep breath.

I climbed into the car, sitting in the drivers seat and picked up the now silent phone. I pressed the home button and saw the missed call notification on the lock screen. It read 'one missed call: EM' followed by the time and number. Elijah. Did I want  
to talk to him? Did he want to talk to me? Obviously he did, that was evident by the missed call. I tried to stay calm as I swiped the notification across to call him back. Just as my finger touched the screen it buzzed with a text.

'I know where you are and I'm coming to see you.  
-Nadia.'

What did she mean 'I know where you are'? How did she even know something was wrong? Unless...Caroline called her. Great, now Nadia would come to see me and I'm a mess, wanting to talk to Elijah and wanting to forget that Andrei had deceived me so long  
ago. She would ask what's wrong and I'd tell her and she'd want to see Andrei and I couldn't do that. I couldn't have her wanting to play happy families with the man who had tricked me. I looked at the missed call notification again and thought about  
Elijah for a moment. He always had a calming affect on me. I swiped across before thinking and held the phone to my ear.

The ringing echoed in my mind. Ring, ring, ring...ring, ring, ring. He answered the phone quickly and said a greeting in Bulgarian. I listening to the sound of his polite voice. He was always a gentlemen, even when he was upset. Which he was. I could  
tell by the way he pronounced some of the words. When we were alone he tended to speak to me in my own language, knowing that I appreciated the chance to use my native tongue again. And to hear him sound so upset using those words make my heart ache.  
I dizzy and smiled slightly at his worry for me.

"Katherine I didn't know he knew you. I knew he was Bulgarian, but I didn't know he was the father of your child. You have to believe me." The desperation in his voice was strong like the emphasis he put on the vowels in his words. I had to do a double  
take at what he had said. How could he possible think that I would think he knew who Andrei was. It was clear that none of them knew by the shocked silence that filled the room when Andrei had spoken to me. My heart lurched at the idea that Elijah  
thought I could possibly blame him for what had happened.

"Elijah, I don't blame you or anything," my voice was cracked because of the crying I had done, "I could never blame you. I was just so surprised that you knew him. So surprised that he was there...that he was even alive. And...and I'm sorry for causing  
a scene like that in front of your family, but I just did not expect to see him ever again. I thought I'd left him in my past 500 years ago."

I had started to get teary again half way through my rant and when I finished I rubbed my eyes not caring if I smudged my makeup. I just felt so done with the world. So, stupidly and ridiculously done with the world. I was over Andrei and had been for  
a long time, but the ache was still there. I mean, every year on the day of his death I was think about him and mourn him in my own special way.

"Katherine," Elijah's voice cut into my thoughts, "it's okay to be upset and angry. We all are. It's not like we hadn't mentioned you before in front of him. When you first arrived in London he was staying with us. I should probably have realised something  
was up because he decided to travel when you came to live with us."

"He what?" I yelled, my head jerking up and glaring off into the distance at the vast bayou that surrounded me. I made my voice more calmed. "He was there when I was?"

Elijah paused for a moment, breath halting and I could hear a rustle in the background of the call. Like he was shifting into a more comfortable position.

"I probably shouldn't have said that." He whispered, concern radiating from his end of the phone call.

"No you shouldn't have. I can't believe he left me pregnant and just went to London." I was furious. I was beyond furious I was murderous. I felt like I could rip his heart from his chest and shove it down his throat. "How dare he do that to-"

I was cut off by a knocking on the car window. I turned to see who it was and came face to face with Nadia. And she looked out of sorts. Had she overheard what I said? Did she hear me talk about Andrei? By the way her face was twisted in confusing I was  
guessing that she had.

"Katherine, are you okay?" Elijah asked on the other end of the phone. I kept eye contact with Nadia who lowered her hand from the window and opened the car door. "Katherine what's going on?"

"I'll have to call you back Elijah." I hung up and face Nadia. She looked mad, and I wasn't sure whether it was for me or not.

"We clearly need to talk."


	13. Chapter Thirteen

Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Diaries, or any of the characters from the TV show and Books.

A/N: Hello! To all the Klaroline fans out there this chapter is in Caroline's point of view picking up after how chapter 11 ended (because they obviously don't know what's happening with Katherine). Anyway, this chapter is named after Never Forget You by Zara Larsson. This chapter also introduces a bit of Tyler. Yay!

To TwilightHybrid Thank you for reviewing again! I really like you're questions about the story and what is going to happen. I'm still not sure what will happen between Katherine, Nadia and Andrei but we'll see as I keep writing.

Nikki thank you for reviewing, I'm glad you like the chapter. I'm not sure what's gonna happen between all of the people just yet, but I'll try to incorporate some of the suggestions you've given.

I also like to say that I'm sorry for not updating sooner, but my grandma died and one of my friends sadly lost a loved one suddenly, so I haven't wanted to write anything. Also, this story is now going to updated every Friday or Saturday (unless there are other things that happen to prevent it). I hope you all enjoy this chapter and please review!

-xox-

 **CHAPTER THIRTEEN: NEVER FORGET YOU.**

I stared at my phone. The urge to throw it across the room welled up inside of me and I had to fight not to get up and break it into a million little pieces. After I had called Nadia and sat down with klaus outside, he and I had just stayed there. We didn't speak, but the silence we were in was comfortable.

Until I got a message from Tyler. Tyler, who I hadn't spoken to in months. And it was him telling me he couldn't come home because he was now a part of some pack up in California and he couldn't come back right away because he needed to be there for his pack. He didn't even ask how I was. If I was okay, or how graduation turned out.

"Love, are you okay?" I had forgotten that Klaus was sitting right next to me and I jumped, startled when spoke.

"Yeah," I mumbled, putting my phone in my pocket and focusing on not letting the tears out that wanted to fall, "it's just that Tyler messaged me to let me know he's found a pack in California and he can't come home. Which I totally understand, but it's still...annoying I guess."

Klaus wrapped his arm around my shoulder and squeezed me tightly. "You have every right to be annoyed, but it's good he's found a pack. Every wolf has a certain instinct to connect with others of their kind. Without that there's a type of emptiness that fills us. It's why I wanted my curse broken so badly. No matter how close to my family I got I needed to find my place. My pack."

Klaus' words weren't what I had expected them to be when the subject of Tyler came up. I expected him to get mad and rant about how bad Tyler is for me. I kind of hoped he would. He reached over and grasped my hand tightly, urging me to look up into his eyes. He was being sincere and I sighed annoyed.

"I know it's good for him to have a pack, but it's just hard to never know what it feels like to come first. You know?" I shook my head, knowing full well that he did know what that felt like with his parents growing up. "I mean Stefan and Damon always worship Elena, Matt dumped me because of what I am not who I am, Bonnie would do anything for Elena and even my own parents preferred work over me. Tyler...he was always going to put being a wolf before me, and I think I knew that in some way. I just, I thought he'd at least do it in person instead of over the phone."

Klaus was watching me carefully, i could see the look in his eyes change rapidly in thought. I pulled my hand from his and stood up. I didn't need to be sharing with Klaus. I didn't need to be connecting with him in any way. I was human now and I'd get old and I would die. And he was willing to wait however long it took for me.

I looked out towards the city in the far distance, watching the sun in the sky. It had been quite a few hours since Katherine had fled, and I didn't go back inside with Klaus. The sun was hanging low in the sky and it made the whole scene that sat before me feel different. This wasn't how I imagined my travelling. I imagined it to happen later in life, after college and after I had an established career. I didn't picture myself human and with Katherine of all people. The little amount I had seen, it was clear that New Orleans really was a beautiful city, just as Klaus had said. I sighed content for a moment, just to stay here watching the setting sun for the rest of my life. But that was just it, my life was a lot shorter now. I only had 60-70 years left. Not much when you look at it in perspective to the immortal life that I just lost.

"It's beautiful isn't it?"

Klaus came to stand next to me and leant on the railing on the porch. He smiled out at the city that sat in the distance. Pride welling up in his eyes. It was clear in his eyes that this city, to him, was his baby. He loved this city, he believe in it. The voicemail that he had left me said as much. I knew very little about the city's history, but what I did know, was that this city was full of so much culture. It thrived off of artistic influences and anyone could be anything here.

We stood for a moment, staring out into the distance. I sighed and shifted, my legs growing tired from standing too long. This was something I'd never get used to again. The little things that weren't there when I was a vampire. The muscle tightness, the lack of constant hunger, the all around feeling of being weaker. I could feel the absence of all the power I once had, and it was as if my confidence had taken a bullet and was bleeding out. I felt shy and nervous. I wasn't invincible anymore. And it wasn't as if Klaus would hurt me. I knew he wouldn't. But it didn't mean his siblings wouldn't hurt me. Because I knew they would if I did anything that they deemed wrong. I shifted slightly again. The ache in my legs returning. I went back and sat down on the chair. And watched Klaus, who still looked out into the distant city, from behind. He was still leaning against the railing and he still held the same wistful expression. He sighed before turning to me, as I rubbed my aching thigh through my tracksuit pants.

"Caroline," Klaus leant on the railing with his back. So he was facing me, "I'm sorry this happened to you. I know you like being a vampire. And being cured whilst trying to save a friend, it must be hard for you."

I nodded, removing my hand from my thigh and wrapping them around myself. It was hard, learning how to cope in my own skin. Even if I had only just been cured.

"Yeah, it is hard. But I guess I'll need to learn to deal with it. It's not something I can change."

"I'll never forget you, you know?" We met eyes as he spoke. I could feel the tears well up at his words. "I know you'll grow old, and sadly you'll die. But I'll never forget you. And I'll make sure no one else does either. You're a very special person Caroline. And I believe you'll do great things in the time you have left."

The tears fell and I quickly rubbed them away. Self conscious of Klaus seeing me cry. It was sad for me to think about death. I knew it was going to happen, people died all the time. But, hearing the words come out of his mouth all tight and pained, struck a cord in my heart. He cared so much for me, even after everything me and my friends did to him. Even after all the times I played the blonde distraction.

And knowing that Klaus intended to keep my memory alive, long after I was gone made me happy. He was immortal...untouchable. If he vowed to keep my memory alive, I really would never be forgotten.


	14. Chapter Fourteen

Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Diaries, or any of the characters from the TV show and Books.

A/N: Hello! I hope you all enjoyed my last chapter! This chapter is in Nadia's point of view picking up straight after chapter 12. This chapter is also named after Daughter of Darkness by Tom Jones.

I'd like to thank everyone who wished me luck on exams, I haven't started yet, but I'm revising like crazy. It was after a practice test in class that I wrote most of the end of this chapter.

TwilightHybrid: thank you for reviewing again! I'm glad you like how the last chapter went with Caroline and Klaus. The cure annoyed me so much when it came onto the show, but I thought I'd try to use it for my story.

klaroline1920: thank you for reviewing! Relationships will be established soon, within the next few chapters. Kol will appear in my story, not sure when or how, but we'll see. He's one of my favourite characters. Hayley will be coming in more later, but  
for now she's a background character. I didn't see how I could have Klaus in the story and not Hayley, she is the mother of his baby. She'll be a good character...for now.

Please read and review. I hope you all enjoy it!

 **CHAPTER FOURTEEN: DAUGHTER OF DARKNESS**.

I stared at my mother, my eyes glazing over at what I had heard just a moment ago. She was talking about my father, that was clear. Who else could she mean had left her pregnant. She pointed to the passenger side and I made my way around the car and got  
in. She fiddled with her phone in her hands and wouldn't meet my eyes. I could see that she had been crying. Her eyes rimmed red, and not in the usual way a vampires did.

I tried to piece together what had happened in my mind. She had mentioned my father and him abandoning her. And also that he knew the originals in some way. I wanted to ask her something...anything. But my mind was blank. I had asked her about my father  
earlier and she had completely iced me out. She didn't want to discuss it at all. Would she now?

"You're father is alive, as I'm sure you gathered from my conversation with Elijah." She spoke quietly, careful with her words.

"Meaning that you thought he died 500 years ago." I was on the edge of my seat. Wanting to soak in every piece of information she had for me. "What happened to him that made you think he was dead?"

She sat for a while. Staring of into the distance. She looked so out of it. Like she couldn't accept what was happening. But I guessed that she couldn't.

"I was told he was trampled by his horse. A week before you were born."

I thought over her words, and tried to piece together an image of what could possibly have happened. He was alive, but he died. I didn't understand what she meant. How could he have faked his death.

"What do you mean?" I asked, brushing my hair behind my ears. "What do you mean he was trampled, I don't understand? How can someone fake being trampled?"

"That's the thing," she whispered, "I just accepted what my papa had told me. I never went to town, I never questioned what he claimed. I just was so heart broken Andrei died."

She got lost in thought again and I reached over to hold her hand. She didn't look at me, just kept her eyes focusing on memories from her distant past. I had so many more questions for her, questions for my father too. But I couldn't ask her when she  
was like this. In that moment, right next to her in the car, I saw just how fragile she was beyond that tough exterior she put up. Her hair was messy and knotted, her makeup stained her cheeks in long black lines and her eyes were bloodshot and red,  
which reached her cheeks and her nose. She had cried so much, she must have loved my father so completely, and to find out he had lied was an ultimate betrayal.

"Do you want to go back to my house, get some rest, maybe have someone to eat?"

She turned to look at me and smile softly. She shook her head, reaching for the keys which were in the ignition. She turned the car on and held her hands on the steering wheel.

"No, I need to go and get Caroline. I was stupid to leave her alone with them. I just hope that he isn't there."

"He, as in my father?" She turned her head and nodded at me, a tear falling from her bloodshot eyes. "Can I come up with you? I can leave my car here and one the way back through I can pick it up."

"Nadia," her voice was strained and protective, not wanting me to get hurt, "I don't think that's a good idea."

"He might not even be there now."

She stopped for a moment, deep in thought, before nodding her head and starting the car. I put my seatbelt on and sat back, she pulled out onto the road and heading back the way she came.

It didn't take us long to reach the house I could only assume belonged to the originals. My mum sat, trying to compose herself enough to get out of the car. I looked up towards the house and saw Caroline sitting down next to a man I knew I'd, but hadn't  
had the pleasure of meeting. I opened my door and Katherine tensed, following my actions. Caroline, who had been staring at the car when we pulled in the driveway, stood up and headed closer.

As we both approached the stairs that led to the front door, Caroline stared at Katherine with sympathy. My mother saw this and, in the typical Petrova way, she put on a cocky mask. One that hid her true feeling from the world. Klaus smiled and as we  
reached the hard wood landing he stretched his hand out to shake mine. I took his hand and shook it gently, watching both my mother and Caroline.

"You must be Nadia Petrova," he let my hand fall as he greeted me, "Caroline was just telling me about you. It is a pleasure to meet the closest relative to our favourite doppelgänger."

If I hadn't have known he was trying to on kind terms with my mum, so he could get closer to Caroline, I would think his words were a threat. But considering she could stand here after he tried to sacrifice her, chased her for 500 years and killed her  
family I would say that things were okay.

"Oh my God!" A voice I knew well called from the door and I flickered my eyes to meet Rebekah's. She blushed a fierce red. "What are you doing here?"

"You two know each other?" Caroline asked, raising her eyebrows and crossing her arms quizzically across her chest before adding in a whisper. "What a small world."

"Yes," I turned to Rebekah this time, smiling widely at what I knew, "in some sense of the word. We met in Prague when she was on holiday with Matthew Donovan."

"Nadia don't you dare say anything!" Rebekah stepped towards me, her face turning angry with he tell tale vampire expression.

"To put it plainly," I added, turning back to the other people on the porch, "we used to sleep together."

Caroline looked shocked, whereas Klaus outwardly let out a laugh. My mothers face scrunched up in disguise and she made a gagging sound. Rebekah groaned, throwing her hands above her head and storming inside.

"Really Nadia?" Katherine asked, her face still filled with disgust. "I'm your mother, I gave birth to you. I do not want to hear about your sex life."

Klaus laughed again and I pushed my hair over my shoulder. I didn't know Rebekah would be here. It made me wonder what happened to Matthew, they were so close in Prague. Looking back at my mother I smirked, it wasn't like I hadn't heard about her sex  
life, it was common knowledge who she did.

We stood in silence for a while, letting what I had said sink in, I assumed. Caroline seemed okay, but every now and again she's shift uncomfortably on her legs, wincing in pain. I kept watch of my surroundings, trying to get a better knowledge of the  
oldest vampires in the world. Their house wasn't how you would picture it. It was normal, not as extravagant as you would imagine. But, in a sense, it was classical and it was also in-the-now. You could imagine after 1000 years of existence they probably  
wouldn't want to spend too much time stuck in the past.

"Katherine, you came back." And accented voice came from behind me. Katherine's eyes widened and her body tended. I turned around to see a man walk out the door. A man I had never met, but one I knew instantly. Because of his eyes.

He had the most vibrant, most spectacular emerald eyes. The same ones I saw every time I looked in the mirror. My heart stopped and I slowed down as I struggled to breath at all. This was my father. The father who, until earlier today, my mother believed  
was dead.

"Andrei, I do not want to speak to you right now. I...cannot speak to you." She spoke using the Bulgarian language. Not the new updated version, but the old and rough dialect.

"Please Katerina, just let me explain to you. It is not what you believe. If you would onl-" he cut off, eyes trained on me, just realising I was there. I tried to remain calm and not panic at who I was just now meeting. "Who are you?"

I opened my mouth to answer, but quickly shut it again. What would I say? _Hello I'm the daughter you abandoned 500 years ago, please love me_. No, in that moment, with my heartbeat loud and echoing, no words could come out. I made a sort of guttural  
whine and quickly closed my mouth. I had no idea what to say or do, so I just stood there looking like an idiot.

I thought for sure Katherine would snap who I was at him with an indignant smirk, but instead, she too remained silent. Someone groaned and made. Exhausted sigh. I wanted to see who it was, but I couldn't bring myself to Avery my eyes.

"This is Nadia," came Caroline's calm and kind voice. I was glad it was her and not Klaus who spoke, "Nadia Petrova. She is yours and Katherine's daughter."

I could see every muscle in his body go rigid as the realisation of just who I was spread through him. It was hard to pinpoint how he felt as he was feeling it, because different emotions flickered rapidly across his stunned face. I waited patiently for  
him to speak. In fact, everyone was silent again. It felt like forever before he shook his head slowly and his eyes shot from mine to my mothers.

"But...this isn't possible." He whispered, shock and fear was plastered on his face. "How...how are you here? What happened? What went wrong?"

I was confused by his words, I furrowed my brow before turning to Katherine to see that she too was confused. We didn't know what he meant, and as if he realised what he said, his face blanked and he flashed away at vampire speed. My heart froze and my  
body tightened. He ran. He didn't want to talk to me, he just ran.

A/N: hey! I just wanted to quickly add that Nadia calls Katherine both by her name and calls her mum because she's still conflicted by how to feel. I know it sounds a bit weird when being read.


	15. Authors questions for you

Sorrrrry! I hate writing authors notes because it's never too exciting. I just wanted to ask you guys a few questions about the story. I have a break from studying and am gonna work out some stuff.

1) Is there anything you want me to mention or add in? Could be anything from a character or to someone just saying something ridiculous.

2) Do you like Andrei? Do you think I should make him bad or good?

3) I'm brining Kol back! And I want to have him like Nadia, but I'm not sure. What do you think?

4) Should I have any of the Mystic Falls gang come into it?

5) Do you want more of Nadia's background? Or anyone else's background in general?

Sorry that there's so many questions, but i want to make it as enjoyable as possible for all of you!  
I'm working on the next chapter now. So I hope you all enjoy it immensely when I post it.


	16. Answers to my Questions

A/N: I'd just like to say a huge thanks to everyone who answered the questions I posted. I really do love all of your opinions and it truly helps me write better for you all. I want to make this story as entertaining as I can. I'm just saying I will take suggestions from anyone throughout the whole process of this story.

I'm gonna answer the questions now before the chapter, so you know what I've chosen.

You don't want me to have Andrei break up Elijah and Katherine (I totally agree with you TwilightHybrid)); Klaus will always help Caroline (to caritobear) Klaroline is endgame for me and he will do absolutely anything to keep her in his life (he'd even be selfish about it); (to Nikki) Klaus is king and will kick ass if needed and there will be more conversations with Kalijah just you wait also the Katherine and Caroline friendship will get more developed/

The majority of you said you want Andrei to be bad, and guess what? I AGREE! I have most of his storyline worked out now and it is semi-bad, but not completely evil. I think you'll like what I'm doing.

You guys didn't like the idea of Nadia and Kol being together, I understand. It was a weird idea of mine. But I liked the look of them together, sooooooooo be prepared for some backstory involving those two.

On the topic of the Mystic Falls gang, most were against it but I think someone suggested just a couple of them. This story is mainly about Katherine and Caroline so if the other people came in it would be to further the plot for those two.

I want to establish more around Nadia and I will, but I won't overdo it. It will always link to either Katherine, Klaus, Caroline or Elijah. I can't wait to show you all the stuff and people Nadia has known in her time as a vampire.

I hope these answers have pleased you all. I took your answers into account and I just want to say to you all that this story is an ever changing and developing story. Nothing is set in stone, I have already changed its direction more than once. So far it's been quite a bit about Katherine, but I think her point of view and her story really is interesting. Caroline's story is more about the future for her and Katherine's in about how she's going to change as she learns more about her past. Things are going to merge as we meet new people and are reintroduced to people of the past. I hope you all enjoy how I make things happen in this story. It really is my baby and I never thought I could write as much as I have already.

Thank you all, I hope you all enjoy what I've done so far and what's to come. I also wanted to add that I've made a Instagram page for this account. It's basically going to have the covers I've made for all the stories I've written and will write. It's gonna show who I think should play people. It's gonna have chapters summaries and sneak peaks. I looked on the computer (I usually only update and stuff on my phone) and I've found out that over 16,000 people have read/ looked at this story. And to me it's amazing that so many people have enjoyed what I've written. The Instagram page is called ishipklaroline2598 (same as my username on here). Please follow it if you have Instagram.


	17. Chapter Fifteen

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Vampire Diaries, or any of the characters from the TV show and Books.

A/N: Hello! I'm sorry it's been soooooooo long since I updated this story with a new chapter. It's currently 2 in the morning and I just finished the chapter (I haven't edited or reread it so it might be bad). This chapter doesn't really advance the plot so much, but it's an introduction to a new point of view, and it give you a bit of a background for some things that will have more meaning later on.

Anyways, please enjoy the chapter which is named after a song by Panic! At the Disco called Death of a Bachelor.

 **CHAPTER FIFTEEN: DEATH OF A BACHELOR.**

"You do realise that I'm the one and only friend you have, right?" Her voice was rough and husky as she spoke to me in flawless Bulgarian. We were standing in the hidden 'craft' room that could be accessed through the pantry in the large house she shared with Nadia. She was standing over a small, what most people would see as a cliché, cauldron filled with a cocktail of magical herbs and liquids. She stayed composed and concentrated on her task while she spoke to me and read out what she needed for the potion she was working on. "Mistletoe, vervain, wolfs bane, pomegranate, and moonshine."

"You do realise that there are probably a lot of witches who would be able to see the dead?" I retorted, using the snarkiest tone I could muster in my equally as flawless Bulgarian. "I merely choose to spend my time in your presence."

She glared over the top of the potion she was brewing. If I could use my sense of smell I'm sure I would be enticed by the strong scent of each ingredient mixed together. A blood red curl hung loose in front of her face, having fallen from the security of her pulled back ponytail. I reached forward, but let my hand fall when I realised I couldn't push it behind her ear. She stared at me for a moment before turning a bright red and tucking it back herself. She turned away from me to hide her blush, getting something from the shelf behind her. I looked down at my useless hands and snarled silently at myself for, even a moment, forgetting I was dead.

"Kol, how long had it been since you've visited your family?"

I thought for a moment, about the last time I had seen my highly dysfunctional family. Klaus, Elijah, and Rebekah were in New Orleans again and they had been in the midst of some problem with Hayley (the unexpected expecting mother of my niece or nephew). Everything had been so hectic, trouble still following the Mikaelson's like a plague. I hadn't stayed long, there was no way for me to help them and that had make me frustrated. I decided after that that my visits shouldn't be as frequent and should be on days that seemed less likely for something bad to happen…like a Wednesday, or a Sunday.

"You should go and see what they have been doing. It might help you feel more relaxed. I can tell how stressed you are just by looking at you. If you were alive I would make you tea." Kida stared pointedly at me. She always seemed to know more than the average person, or even witch, knew. That was because she happened to be a seer, a witch that could see the past and the future, among a whole range of other skills. It was said that seers were some of the most powerful and rare witches out in the world, that was what this witch particularly special to me.

"Kidakadeshka, I can't keep stepping in on my families business. Seeing them struggle and sometimes thrive, it truly hurts to see what I'm missing out on." I leant against the bench in the middle of the room, staring across it at Kida. I had used her full name, which she hated, and I received the sneer of disapproval I knew that I would get when it fell from my lips.

"Do not call me Kidakadeshka. It is Kida and nothing else." She placed three jars down on the bench and opened the one that contained the vervain. "And don't think you can distract me by using the one thing you know I despise. You are going to see your family whether you like it or not. I've seen it."

That made me stop, it always did when she mentioned things she had seen. She didn't like to talk about her visions, only when it was necessary to help innocent people. And because of the control she now had over her powers she only really got a vision when it mattered to someone she was close to.

That would mean either me and my family, or Nadia. She didn't meet my eyes for a while and I just stood there watching her follow the steps in her book, like a recipe in a cook book. When she did look up again it was in shock and annoyance.

"Why are you still here? Leave."

So I left.

Travelling was far easier now that I was dead. I didn't have to spend hours in a car or plane to get to where I wanted to be. If I wanted to go and visit my family, or anything really, all I had to do was close my eyes and think hard about it and when I opened my eyes I'd be there.

I opened my eyes and found myself in the driveway of a house my family hadn't been living in the last time I had visited. They had moved, which meant something had escalated with the creatures in the quarter. I was standing next to a car I didn't recognise, facing the front porch of a home I hadn't seen since the late 1800's. Standing on the porch was my brother, the blonde baby vampire my brother fancied, Katherine, my dear friend Nadia, and a man who came and when from our lives on a regular basis. Andrei.

My family had known Andrei since just after he had turned and come to England. He always caused us problems, but Klaus seemed to enjoy his diabolical company. And none of us argued with Klaus, unless we wanted to find ourselves in our personal coffins. I didn't know how he had come into the picture this time, he probably heard rumours of our family settling down and he wanted to destroy whatever peace we had. But this time he looked like he wanted to be anywhere but here, he was talking and staring at Katherine and Nadia.

I had known both Andrei and Nadia long enough to know that they were father and daughter, the only piece of information I had ever kept from my closest friend Nadia, but I had no idea how all three of them were here on my family's porch. I made my way closer to them, straining my ears to hear what they were talking about. My hearing wasn't as perfect as it was when I was alive, in the dead state I was in I was about as useless as a human, so I couldn't hear a word of what they were saying. As I reached the base step that led towards the front door Andrei bolted past me and off into the distance, leaving a very confused mother and daughter behind.

"That was so weird." The blonde baby vamp, Caroline, whispered softly. She shifted a fraction and I could instantly tell that something about her had changed, but couldn't figure out what.

""Maybe we should all go inside, try to relax and stay calm." Klaus suggested, reaching a hesitant hand towards Caroline's lower back. They all nodded and followed him inside the house, one by one, walking to the small room where Rebekah and Hayley sat gushing over baby accessories.

The room soon grew silent, everyone taking a seat except for Klaus who stood by the window that looked out onto the driveway. I noticed how Rebekah kept shooting glares towards Nadia and the small shudder that past over Katherine when she noticed this too. I didn't have time to wonder what had happened between my oldest friend and my sister, before Elijah stormed into the room with his usual suave flair. All eyes turned to him, but he didn't seem to realise. He was staring directly at Katherine, who stared right back at him. I laughed out loud, knowing none of them could see or hear me, feeling glad I had visited on a very awkward occasion. I still didn't know what exactly was going on, but I would get Kida to ask Nadia later on.

I had known Nadia for centuries, in fact I had been the one to turn her. She had begged me to turn her in order for her to find her mother, the infamous doppelgänger Katerina Petrova, and I had obliged because she had been desperate and pretty. To begin with we had tried to be more than friends, but her child had complicated matters, so we decided to remain good friends. That happened to be a perfect decision, because on and off throughout the next 500 years I had quietly helped her track her mother down. I only wished I could have been alive to watch them reuniting.

"Katherine, may I speak to you elsewhere?" Elijah asked, motioning towards the large staircase to the floor that held the bedrooms. Katherine got up and followed quickly. I walked over and took the seat between Caroline and Nadia, feeling uncertain against the seat cushion as it touched me without feeling it.

I almost felt alive, sitting there amongst the people I cared about, injecting myself unknowingly into the lives I had lost when I had died. I didn't know how things would be if I was still alive, but I knew that if I had been here I would have made—"If Kol was here you know he would definitely make a snide remark about Elijah and Katherine going upstairs together." I looked at the voice that had spoken, Nadia, she stared at the table in the centre of the room and her eyes didn't once flicker as the attention of everyone in the room went to her.


	18. EXTREMELY IMPORTANT AUTHORS NOTE

Hey guys! It's come to my attention that there is a rather massive plot hole in regards to Nadia knowing Matt and Rebekah. Which, due to how I've written the first chapters, is impossible because Matt and Rebekah haven't travelled. I am currently working  
on changing stuff to do with this messed up timeline. It shouldn't take me long, but in saying that I'm going to have to remove all chapters and rewrite some stuff. So once it's all fixed you should definitely start from the start of the story and work  
your way through again.

Sorry, I guess writing as I go along doesn't always work.


	19. Chapter Sixteen

A/N: Hello! How has everyone been? Sorry I haven't updated for little bit, it's been the holidays and I've been busy. I just got back from a week trip in Tasmania (I live in Melbourne) to visit my friends that live over there. And because I was visiting friends I had no time to right, and to be honest I didn't really want to while I was there.

 **MUST READ! VERY IMPORTANT!**

For people who have read the Authors note about the plot hole in the story, I am going to continue to write chapters while I go back and fix the plot hole in the story.

The plot hole is that I wrote the story as if Caroline waking up and everything happening had occurred just after graduation. That's impossible because Rebekah and Matt went to Europe and met Nadia. So I'm fixing it like this: Caroline had been unconscious for 3 weeks after being cured. Katherine and Liz Forbes teamed up to find out what had happened to her, Liz telling her the gang that Caroline had gone on a holiday alone and Katherine promising to find a witch to wake Caroline up and find out why Caroline had been unconscious. Katherine and Liz didn't expect Caroline to wake up in the car in chapter one. So, I'm fixing the part of the story to add that in, but I wanted to continue on with it because I hit a role with my writing. Anyway, this chapter is very long, meaning over 6500 words (longest chapter yet), and it was only meant to be a filler but as I began to write it I fell in love with it and just kept writing. Hopefully you all enjoy this chapter as I do, and hopefully you aren't too confused about the whole plot hole thing.

Enjoy!

 **CHAPTER SIXTEEN: NIGHT FEVER.**

 _His lips felt like fire as they travelled over my bare skin. I struggled to focus on anything other than him and me. I knew I shouldn't be getting this caught up when with him, but I had no way of controlling the emotions I had when we were together. It was almost like everything else disappeared and all the problems we had, and all the issues our relationship seemed to produce, faded away into nothing. His hands moved across my hips and up my stomach. For someone who had been undead for centuries I was feeling more and more alive now than ever._

" _Mmm." I moaned out, gripping onto his hair and pulling his perfect lips back to my own. The suit he was wearing was now gone. I had made quick work of that. His lips moulded into mine and I could hear his heart beating rapidly next to mine._

 _He pulled back, just enough so that we could look into each other's eyes. They shined in the dim lighting of the large room. He smiled his boyish smile, the one that melted my heart and made me forget how stupid it was for us to be involved like this._

" _Are you comfortable?" He asked me, worry filling his face. "Because, you do know that you can always just tell me if you're—"_

" _Matt, I'm a 1000 year old vampire. I know when I am comfortable and when I am not. If I was uncomfortable right now you would be the one on your back, not me."_

 _He let out a nervous laugh and I followed suite. He pulled me by my loose hair and kissed me with all the passion his human body could muster. I moaned again, letting myself get lost in his kiss once again. Unlike all of the men I had been with over the years, Matt had so much more heart. He knew what he wanted, and what it was didn't have anything to do with hurting me or my family. He cared about me, even though so many of his friends had been hurt by my brothers and me. I had revealed more to him that I had to anyone else, knowing that he would keep every secret. And he told me things as well, things that his friends didn't listen to him about._

 _When we woke up in the morning we showered, dressed, and headed out in the town car I had hired to drive us around. We would go site seeing before we went to the hidden crown jewel of this city, one that very little people knew about, theatre. Milan was famous for its fashion shows, but the theatre was just as brilliant. The production we would be seeing was Shakespeare, classic and tragic. I knew it wasn't usually something Matt would do, but it was part of seeing the world. Experiencing things that are classic and once in a lifetime._

 _We arrived at the theatre after our long day of seeing ancient buildings and historical sites. I spent the day as our tour guide, telling Matt everything I knew about the things we were seeing and letting him know how life was when my family and I had lived in this city. He was wearing another suit and he looked suave and handsome, like someone who should be playing the next James Bond. He had somehow managed to get a tie that matched the green dress I was wearing. We got into our seats at a table, because it was Shakespeare and a meal with a restaurant vibe, we weren't the only ones at our table. We were seated with two others._

 _One of them was a stout, pale skinned, man. He looked like he was constantly disgusted, staring down at Matt and myself as we took the opposite seats. The other was a dark olive skinned woman, her hair held back tightly by a blood red ribbon that matched her, what looked to be, overly expensive dress. She looked important, but I did not know who she was. She smiled over at us, raised her glass to her lips, and took a deep sip of the blood that filled her wine glass. A vampire._

" _Hello," she placed her glass back on the table, acting completely natural whilst drinking blood in a room full of humans, "my name is Nadia Dubois and this is my business partner Pierre Claments. Sorry for his state, he isn't particularly happy to be here tonight." The man who sat next to the woman, Nadia, turned to her and sneered a full fanged sneer. I could feel Matt besides me shift and reach across to grab my arm. He was making sure everything was okay. "What is your name?"_

" _My name is Rebekah Mikaelson, this is my close friend Matthew Donovan. What brings you to Milan, Nadia?" Both Nadia and Pierre's eyes widen at the mention of my name. The original vampires were legend and our name could strike fear in the bravest of vampires._

" _I am here to resume business that I had to postpone recently." She took another sip from her glass. "What is an original vampire like yourself doing revisiting a city like this?"_

 _Matt stayed quiet beside me, gripping my thigh tightly, uncomfortable with being the only human at a vampire table. I wondered how this woman knew that my family had been here before. We didn't like to leave anything behind when we left towns, just the memory of what had been with no physical evidence. She would have to have been here at the time to know that we had been here, but I did not recognise her at all._

" _I'm sorry," I whispered to her, reaching across the table and taking her glass into my hands, "but I don't recognise you. Should I remember you from my family's time here?"_

 _She shook her head and waved down another waiter who arrived with food menu's, for us to look over. He handed one out to each of us, Pierre shaking his head and waving the waiter on. Matt stuck his head straight in his, but I already knew what it was that I wanted. Answers._

" _No." She laughed, her voice tinged with an accent I knew but couldn't place just yet. "We haven't met before, but I arrived in the city just before you did. And I stayed far longer than you and your family. It's nice to finally put a face to your famous name."_

 _We ordered our food and didn't speak again for the rest of the show. I managed to keep Matt calm throughout the show, and I even enjoyed most of it. I kept my eyes on Nadia for the better part of the play, while she remained focused on the actors. The man she was with left half way through the show, apologising to Nadia and running from the building. Nadia laughed as she watched him leave, drinking the remainder of one of her many glasses of blood._

 _The show finished late into the night and I could tell that Matt was itching to be back at the hotel room we had been staying at. For someone who liked to deny his feelings for me, he sure did enjoy spending a lot of time with us in bed. We left the theatre quickly, Matt thanking me for taking him to see the show._

" _I'm sorry I was so distracted during the show, but I really did enjoy it." He muttered, squeezing my hand reassuringly. "I was just on edge with that vampire that seemed to know a lot about your family."_

 _I was worried too, but I was an original vampire and the white oak stake was in a safe place where it couldn't harm any of my family. I decided not to let Matt know that I was worried about Nadia. If he knew that I was worried he would worry even more, and that meant he might want to return to Mystic Falls early. I couldn't allow that to happen. Not when things were just starting to get good for the two of us._

 _We returned to the hotel, arriving at 2am in the morning because of how far the theatre was from where we were staying. Matt was on me as soon as the door to our room closed. His lips catching mine and his hands lifting me closer towards him. I wrapped my legs around his waist and clutched his hair in my fingers, pulling him closer and closer to my body._

 _We fell messily onto the bed, tangled in a mess of arms and legs. His lips never left mine and his hands never stopped caressing my body. He straddled my waist and reached behind my dress to unzip it. I arched my back to give him access, deepening our kiss in the process. I could feel all of him pressed against me and I held back a moan that hit the back of my throat and made a choked sound._

 _Click, click, click…_

 _I pushed Matt off of my body and sat up, dress handing loose on my body. Something was happening outside in the hallway. Something was making an obnoxious clicking sound. My vampire hearing could tell that it was across the hall and because it was so incessant it had already ruined the mood. Matt stared at me as I stood up and zipped my dress back up. I told him to wait a minute and headed for the door._

 _Across the hallway, standing at the opposite door, stood Nadia Dubois. She was muttering to herself in an old form of Bulgarian, swiping a key card repeatedly in the door. Every time she got it wrong it beeped and flashed red. I watched her for a moment before she swore and banged on the door._

" _Are you alright?" I asked, stepping forward and out of our hotel room. I could hear Matt get up and walk out behind me. "You seem to have the wrong room."_

 _She turned towards me and the sneer on her face dropped instantly. "I have the right room, trust me. Every time I come here I get this room. Every time. Something is wrong with this stupid machine."_

 _Matt walked past me and stook the key card from her, inspecting it and then looking at the machine. He went to swipe it, before he stopped and laughed quietly. He turned and gave the card to Nadia, still laughing. I didn't see the humour, and by the look on Nadia's face neither did she. He brushed a hand through his hair and stood beside me, hand wrapping easily around my waist._

" _The problem isn't with the room. It's with the management." He pulled me closer and stared at a confused Nadia. "The key card is issued with a different room. They've given you the wrong key. Easily fixed if you go back down to the front desk, I'm sure."_

 _She smiled and let out a loud laugh, I joined her. I wasn't quite sure if the fact she was here was a coincidence or not but the desk clerk giving her the wrong key, which forced us to run into each other again, made me question this slightly. She reached for her clutch purse and slipped the card inside of it. She placed the strap of the bag over her shoulder and smiled gratefully at the both of us._

" _Sorry, I swear every time I come back here something changes. I'm still getting used to all this new technology. I would never have thought that they had given me the wrong key." She shrugged and adjusted the bag on her shoulder needlessly. "The last time I was here was over 100 years ago with my late husband, things were so much easier than."_

" _Hey, why don't you come inside and call the front desk from our room," I turned to look at Matt. What was he doing? Why would he invite her into our room, especially after what we had been doing before her interruption? "That way you won't have to go all the way down there and back."_

" _Are you sure that would be alright? I wouldn't want to impose on your special night or anything."_

" _No." I reassured her before turning and heading back into our room, going towards the phone, "it's fine. It really is awfully late anyway, no one wants to be going up and down elevators all night. Besides it would be much quicker to call from here. That way they'll have to be quick or they'll get a bad reputation"_

 _The next morning Matt and I woke up in tangled sheets our bodies wrapped around one another. The room was silent and I could already tell that we had over slept. I stretched out and opened my eyes, only to be blinded by the bright sun shining through the window. Matt groaned and wrapped his arms tighter around me, pulling me closer to his naked body. I pushed away from him and he reached out for me. I laughed and continued to climb out of bed. I walked over to the window and looked down on the city below us._

" _Bekah, why are you out of bed?" His voice still sounded like he was half asleep, leaning up on his elbows and his hair mussed hilariously._

" _Because we slept in. We're already behind schedule and I still have more to show you before we leave tomorrow night."_

 _He was starting to wake up more now, rolling his legs off of the edge of the bed and trying to detangle himself from the sheets. I walked away from the windows and towards the small table where our mobile phones sat, picking mine up and checking if I had any messages or not._

 _ **Are you going to come home from your fantasy holiday yet? I need you in New Orleans ASAP!**_

 _ **-Klaus.**_

 _I grimaced and shut my phone quickly, not bothering to check any other message. Klaus had always known how to summon me. But it wasn't going to work this time. I turned back to Matt who was stretching in the bright light that was coming in through the window. I smiled at how his body looked in the light, the way it touched his body as it shone through into the room. Nothing my brother said could make me leave this. Not when things were going this perfect for Matt and I. Not even that dreadful werewolf he'd gone and gotten knocked up._

" _What's on the agenda today Rebekah? An old musty castle your brother stole from a reigning monarch? A tale of an old lover you took to some old unknown part of the city?" He reached for his boxers and slipped them on, walking around the bed to where I stood. He smiled at me and yawned, arms stretching above his head once again._

" _Ha...ha…ha, very funny." I threw my phone onto the couch, searching for my discarded underclothes. "I actually intended to go on a real tour this time. One fully paid for and run by an actual tour guide. There are certain parts of this city that are new and I have yet to be acquainted with."_

" _No more self-guided tours here in Milan?" He feigned shock, slipping a pair of pyjama pants on over the top of his white boxers. I watched him closely as I clasped my bra and slipped into my own pair of underwear._

" _No more self-guided tours of Milan. They'll resume once we get to Greece."_

 _He smiled at me and headed into the bathroom, turning to ask me if I would be joining him. I laughed and unclasped the bra I had only just done up, running in after him._

 _We had made it down stairs just in time for lunch in the hotel restaurant. As we entered I saw Nadia sitting all by herself at the far end of the room by a large window. She was sitting with a notebook in her hand, staring out into the large hotel gardens that spread out into the distance. I decided that she looked far too lonely, so I pulled Matt by his elbow all the way to her table. I stopped only when we reached her table, coughing to signal my presence and to get her attention. She looked up at us, shocked out of her trance._

" _Good afternoon Nadia, would you mind if we joined you?"_

" _Oh no." She sat up straighter, closing the notebook and placing it down on the table. "Please, do join me. I would like the company."_

 _We sat down on the other side of the table, Matt taking the seat that would block anyone from reaching my place next to the window. Nadia waved a waiter down, and quickly a young man came over with two menu's in his hand. He greeted us and said he would be back presently to take our order and to bring us some water. Nadia had a glass of wine next to her empty plate. I could smell that she had spiked her drink with blood, but I decided not to bring that to Matt's attention just yet._

" _So, how long are the two of you in Milan for?" She asked, resting her hand protectively on top of the small notebook._

" _We've been here for three days, and we leave tomorrow afternoon." Matt looked up from his menu briefly before going back to deciding on what to eat. "Matt here had never been out of his small home town, Mystic Falls, and he decided he wanted to see the world while he's still young."_

" _No." He cut in, closing the menu and placing it next to his plate. "You decided I deserved to see the world while I'm still young. I agreed because I knew you wouldn't give up."_

" _You guys make such a cute couple. You remind me of my late husband and myself."_

 _We both looked up at her and froze. A couple. We hadn't discussed the boundaries of our…friendship. I mean, we had slept together since being on this trip but he had no intention of remaining with me for the rest of his human life. And he definitely had no intention of turning into a vampire._

" _What can I get you two this fine day?" The waiter arrived back at the table, putting two glasses in front of us and holding his notepad in his hand. I silently thanked fate for making the waiter interrupt us at this moment. Stopping the conversation in its place. Giving leeway for a subject change._

 _We sat there until the kitchen closed, talking amongst the three of us and finding out more about each other. It was quite nice, and once the restaurant closed we went outside and sat in the garden. It was nice, not going to the tours I had planned and just hanging out. I could tell that Matt was relieved that we weren't surrounded by heaps of tourists today. But he was still getting the history lesson's he would on the tours, because Nadia had lived here quite a lot in her time as a vampire._

" _So, you and your husband came here over sometime last century, how was it then?" Matt asked, leaning back in the chair he was sitting in, looking over at Nadia who was staring at all the plants contently._

" _Oh, it was lovely. Not much of the architecture has changed, although the technology has. It was a new building when we came here and it was his first time he'd ever travelled. Of course, I had been to Milan a few times before I met him, but it made the trip all the more. Being able to show my dear Philip a city that I cherish."_

" _Philip?" I asked. A face instantly appeared in my mind. A man I had known when my brothers and I had moved to New Orleans. "As in Philip Dubois, son of Gerard Dubois. Of New Orleans."_

 _Nadia laughed and returned her attention from the garden back to the table. Matt sat up straighter and watched Nadia and I carefully, wanting to know the connection._

" _Yes Philip Dubois of New Orleans. He was my husband up until the day that he passed away." She seemed to find some kind of humour in me knowing her husband._

" _So, you would have been in New Orleans around the time my brothers and I were there? Just like when you were here when we were?" I was suspicious of her instantly. Maybe she was part of some faction obsessed with killing our family. Maybe she knew Mikael._

" _Both coincidences. I have travelled a lot. I go from city to city, conferring with witches. I was here for a powerful witch who lived in the city at the time, one your brother killed I believe. And I went to New Orleans searching for another powerful witch, but I met Philip and fell in love. We married and we stayed happily married until the day he died." She spoke matter-of-fact. Addressing the issue as if following some rule where she had to explain herself. I supposed that sitting across the table from an original might do that to you. "So, is that all you wish to know about my personal life. Because I'm sure that there's plenty I have done in the last 500 years that you might find interesting."_

" _No that's okay." I tried to sound apologetic, I wasn't completely over my suspicion but I didn't want to go too paranoid. "I'm sorry, it's just my family has made quite a few enemies over the years and it's hard not to get defensive. I really need to relax more."_

 _Matt laughed to himself, telling me he was going to go and get us all more drinks. Nadia and I asked for wine we sat in silence until Matt returned with our drinks. He came back with a tray and placed it on the table. I took notice of the water that he had gotten himself. Always the responsible one._

" _So Matt," Nadia began, sipping from her wine glass before continuing, "What are you planning on doing when you return back to your home town?"_

 _Both Nadia and I turned to Matt. Matt never mentioned his future when we were together, I could only assume it was so that we didn't have to talk about when we would finally say goodbye to one another. He sat back in his chair and played with his glass of water._

" _I talked to the Sheriff and she said if I go to the police academy, once I'm done there she'll take me under her wing and maybe one day I could become the Sheriff like her. In a town like Mystic Falls it's always good to have a Sheriff that knows about the supernatural, because of all the vampires and werewolves we seem to attract." He looked over at me and smiled. I didn't know that he wanted to be a police officer, but I could definitely picture him in the uniform._

" _A Sheriff is a very admirable job. Putting your life at risk for those in your town. Having them look up to you to protect them. I believe you will do a great job."_

 _We managed to stay outside all day and just moved indoors for dinner. Getting to know Nadia of the space of the day was nice. She was kind and did a lot for certain charities. She told us all about a fashion show she runs through one of the big designers in Milan. She helps advertise the show and make all of the hype, so that people will go to it. And all the proceedings go to charities that raise money for studies on sicknesses that affect young children. She said it's something that needs to be supported because children are the future._

 _As we walked into the restaurant the waiter led us back to the table we had sat at that afternoon for lunch. Giving Matt and I a menu and taking our drink order, the waiter turned to Nadia and told her he would get her usual. She sat perfectly straight and looked out the same window she had looked out earlier today, her hand resting once again on the top of her notebook._

" _Thank you for letting us join you today. I'm sure you had better things to be doing." I reached under the table to grasp Matt's hand, squeezing it tight in anticipation of being back in our room soon. Nadia looked at me and smiled sadly._

" _I would be doing exactly what we did today, but I would be alone. So thank you for stopping what you had planned to spend time with little old me."_

" _It was fun. It's nice to be around a vampire who hasn't tried to rip my throat out." I turned to Matt, shocked at how blunt he had been. Nadia looked at us as if to ask what kind of life he lived. "Between vampires coming from everywhere, and the amount of people that have been either killed or turned, Mystic Falls hasn't been the safest of places for the past few years."_

" _Sounds like it's a lovely town." She laughed through a sip of wine. "You still live there because…?"_

" _I still live there because it's the only home I know. The town has been there for a couple of hundreds of years, and when vampires aren't killing its inhabitants it can be a pretty good town."_

" _Way to make us all sound like horrible monsters, Matt." I muttered, grimacing at his words._

" _Are you forgetting running me and Elena off of the road, your brother breaking my hand, your other brother threatening to kill everyone in town?"_

 _Nadia was staring at us open mouthed, her green eyes shining with humour. She snorted amongst laughter. "And you guys managed to get over all of that and have travelled from America to Europe on a romantic vacation?"_

" _In a way, I guess." Matt smiled at me. The memory of when he and I had talk about travelling when he had stood on the bomb. When we shared our first kiss._

 _Later that night we found ourselves in Nadia's room, drinking bottles and bottles of wine. I sat on Matt's lap on a soft chair, leaning back into him relaxed. Nadia sat on the large couch, laying with her legs spread out on all of the seats. We had old music playing, music from the last era I had lived through. The roaring 20's. Matt hummed to the music quietly in my ear while Nadia and I reminisced about past lives we had lived. She had lived almost a more eventful life than I had. She was half my age, but she had travelled to every continent and seen things that even I hadn't seen._

" _Do you know what I miss about the 20's?" My head swung back and I stared up at the light. Matt rubbed his hands up my thighs and gripped my waist. I pushed myself closer to him and smiled._

" _What's that?" Nadia asked, leaning forward and pouring herself another glass of wine._

" _I miss how easy it was to get away with stuff!" My loud exclamation made both Nadia and Matt jump, making me laugh to myself. "Like you could party soooooo hard," I grinded myself into Matt's lap, "and you could just keep going and going and it was so much harder for the humans to find proof."_

 _Nadia gulped down her wine, lying back down on the large couch nodding in agreement. Matt went back to running his hands up and down my thighs, stopping every now and again to drink from his glass._

" _I'm guessing that when you say 'get away with stuff' you mean killing people?" Matt whispered in my ear and I could feel his hot breathe tickle my neck._

" _Not necessarily." I laughed, thinking back to Chicago. "A lot of the fun didn't include hurting people, it was more about what we could do with other people. The fun and the underground parties."_

" _The 20's were fun. But over the past 500 years a lot of eras have been fun. The 20's came and went and in however many years we'll be living through another classical time that'll become a party theme for generations to come."_

 _The record we had been listening to, because apparently Nadia still travelled with a record player, finished and Nadia set her glass down and went over to a stack of records she had. She flipped through them until she came close to the bottom of the pile. She removed the record that had been playing and replaced it with the new one, smiling as she set it up and the music began to fill the room. I sat up straighter as the melody became familiar to me. Matt was confused, not having any idea who or what this music was. I only knew it because it had been something that had been released just before my brother had daggered me. It had also been a song that Stefan and I had danced to frequently at Gloria's, but I wouldn't mention that here with Matt._

 _I pulled myself from Matt's grip and joined Nadia who was dancing in the middle of the room. We both kicked our legs up and spun around, doing the Charleston. Matt laughed and smiled at the both of us, tapping his foot to high tempo of the music. Nadia and I danced for what seemed like hours, and it very well could have been. Matt still sat in the chair, laughing and watching us. Nadia and I looked at each other for a moment, an idea forming in our heads before we rushed over and pulled Matt to his feet. We held his hands as we danced and he stood still for the most part but was enjoying himself, it was evident by the large smile on his face._

 _It wasn't long before that the second record finished as well and Nadia went back to her stack, flipping through them at an inhuman speed. Matt and I continued to dance without any music on, his arms wrapping around my waist and pulling me close._

" _Do you miss the life you used to have?" He whispered, nuzzling into my neck and giving it a little kiss._

" _The life I used to have? Matt I was different in the 20's. I was with Stefan Salvatore. Even worse," I pulled back so that we could stare into each other's eyes, "I was with an emotionless ripper who I cared about, but who couldn't truly care about me. I don't regret that my brother daggered me, because I probably never would have met you."_

" _You guys really do make a cute couple, you know." Nadia voice broke through the bubble Matt and I seemed to be in. She was putting in another record, peeking up at us from beneath her dark eyelashes. "Even if you won't admit it."_

 _The record she put on was more recent, I could tell because it definitely wasn't something I knew. But I was happy to see that Matt seemed to know it. It was upbeat and sounded like something I heard in a movie that my brother had told me to watch. He had said something about it explaining the whole '70's era'. The upbeat music made us all reach for our glasses for a refill and then Matt and Nadia demonstrated how the sort of dancing worked. I watched on as a song about some kind of 'night fever' played._

 _There was a lot of spinning and ridiculous hand gestures, but they both seemed to enjoy it. And I had to admit the music was catchy, something I most definitely would have liked if I had been awake during in the time period._

" _Now, why don't you try it Bekah." Matt announced, reaching out for my hand. I laughed and shook my head. I didn't quite think I was ready yet. He didn't take no for an answer as he pulled me into the middle of him and Nadia and we did some compromised version of the dance, so that the three of us could dance together._

 _This time we all sat together on the couch. Matt in the middle and Nadia and I on each side of him. He smiled at each of us and tried to explain to us 'technology phobes' how a touch phone worked. In our tipsy state Nadia and I were totally confused by how such 'magic' could be put into such a device. Matt was explaining that it wasn't magic and that it was just how they put the thing together and how each thing worked together to make the whole. To say the least, Nadia and I were enthralled by his explanation, even if we didn't understand most of it._

 _After his explanation the three of us used out phones to take selfies together. After tomorrow Matt and I probably would never see Nadia again, this wasn't a night that any of us seemed to want to forget._

 _When the light crept through the window in the morning I groaned and turned over in Matt's arms. As I brushed my hand over his bare chest my hand hit something. My head shot up and I saw a completely naked and a now disoriented Nadia lying on Matt's other side. Images from the night before shot through my head and I could remember how we'd gone from dancing, to talking, and eventually had fallen into bed together. I was hazy on how we managed to decide a threesome was in order, but by the look on Nadia's face she too was confused._

 _Matt stirred between us and Nadia grabbed a cream silk dressing gown from the floor, wrapping it around herself and excusing herself to go to the bathroom. I watched as Matt opened his eyes and smiled up at me. I smiled back, reaching down with one hand and brushing it through his hair. I could see the exact moment he remember what had happened last night. As he sat up his whole demeanour changed. His shoulders tensed, eyes widened, and he looked around the room frantically. When he turned back to me I smiled timidly at him. I hadn't intended this to happen on our trip, and half expected him to tell me that he wanted to go back home._

" _Did what I think happened last night actually happen? Or was that just some weird alcohol induced dream?" His voice was shaky and I gave him his boxers that had been draped over a small lamp on the bedside table. He took them and shot out of bed, putting them on in record speed._

" _It happened. I don't remember why it happened, but it did." I got my clothes, not caring that I probably looked horrible, and I threw them on as quickly as I could._

" _We slept together. Nadia, you and me." I nodded in response. "Where's Nadia now?"_

 _I nodded my head in the direction of the bathroom just as the door opened and a completely dressed and perfect looking Nadia emerged. She smiled at the both of us nervously and handed Matt a glass of water. Matt drank his water as I finished dressing. Once I was done he began the search for his clothes. When we finally found his pants they were torn in half. That made Nadia and I laugh, not so much Matt. I knew he worked hard for the money he got, and having nice pants was some sort of privilege._

" _I'll buy you a new pair." I told him, apologising for ruining them in the first place._

" _I'll have a new pair of Armani pants here in half an hour." Nadia added. "As payment for the hand I had in tearing them to shreds."_

 _Matt stood there staring at them, obvious confusion written all over his face. He had probably never seen pants ruined so animalist before. The legs were tattered and torn to shreds and the zip and buttons were completely missing from where they should have been._

" _Okay. Thanks. I guess."_

 _We told Nadia that we best go back to our room and get dressed and pack for the journey to Italy later that day. She waved us off and we said our goodbyes to her. Matt decided he'd shower first while I packed our bags. There was a knock at our door and when I opened the door the waiter from yesterday was standing there with a cart with trays of food and a suit bag on his arm. I waved him in, knowing that Nadia had called down to the desk for us. As the man left the room, I called out a thank you to her, knowing that she could hear me._

 _When Matt came out of the bathroom he was happy to see the food we had gotten and was almost in awe by the genuine Giorgio Armani shirt and pants that were inside the suit bag. There was a note from Nadia attached to the suit bag that fell to the floor as Matt opened it. I bent down and picked it up, unfolding the ripped out page from the notebook she had been carrying yesterday. On the piece of paper was a sketch of Matt and I laughing together, with an accompanying note._

 _ **Thank you for keeping me company yesterday. Seeing you two together reminded me of the time I had spent with my dear Philip. I hope you enjoy the rest of your holiday, and I hope you don't lose contact once it's over. Cherish the time you have.**_

 _ **Sincerely,**_

 _ **Nadia Dubois.**_

…

"That whole time you knew my brother." I asked, staring shocked at Nadia who sat across from me.

Everyone in the room had their eyes on her. None of us expected her to know Kol's name, let alone having known exactly what he would have said had he been here. Klaus stepped forward and Caroline even turned to the woman next to her in complete astonishment. Things in my mind seemed to click into place. She hadn't been following us when we had travelled as a family, she had been invited by my brother. That's how she who I was that first night we met. That's why she was so careful with what she had said. She couldn't let slip that she had known my brother.

"Of course I knew Kol." She said, snapping out of her trance and crossing her leg, leaning back in the seat she sat in. "Why on earth do you think I would travelling the world looking for powerful witches? Besides, I've known Kol since I was 15 years old. He is, after all, the one who turned me into a vampire."


	20. Chapter 17

A/N: Hello! How has everyone been? Sorry that I haven't updated for a little while, I've just started my last year of school and everything has been a little hectic. I've barely had any spare time to write and when I do write I can't always choose what I'm writing. Even right now it's in my break from studying and I'm stealing any little bit of creativity that's left inside my tired and overworked brain.

This chapter gives further insight into Katherine…again. I don't want people to worry that this story is going to focus on Katherine's past, because it's not. Just at the moment, as I'm making most of this stuff up as I go along (because I'm following very brief notes), my brain instantly wants to reveal more of stuff about Katherine. I promise that in the next few chapters I will focusing more on Caroline and Klaus. Because let's face it, not that I don't understand other people's opinions, but Klaroline is the best ship.

Anyway, this chapter is in Elijah's point of view and I really hope you like it.

Enjoy!

 **CHAPTER SEVENTEEN: FOURTH OF JULY.**

I opened my bedroom door, letting it swing open so that the both of us could walk in. She sauntered her way through the doorway, brushing against me as she did so. I watched as she took in her surroundings. My bedroom was pretty much bare, I had very little personal items that I wished to use as decoration. The only sentimental type of things that I dared keep in this home were the journals I had kept in our time here last century. And they lined the long book shelf that ran along the far wall.

"Are you okay?" I whispered softly as she let herself fall down onto the edge of my large bed. Her hair bounced in loose ringlets as the mattress moved under her weight. She leant back on her forearms and crossed one perfect leg over the other. I gulped, knowing just how dangerous it was to have her here in my bedroom right now.

"I'm fine. Why do you ask?" Her tone was soft like silk, but the undercurrent of seduction was so cleverly concealed that I almost couldn't believe it was on purpose. But it always was with Katherine. She smiled up at me and uncrossed her legs only to casually switch legs. I watched her watch me from under her eyelashes, and a yearning spread through my whole chest.

"Well, a lot has happened today." I yanked at my tie and loosened its tight pull around my throat. "I just wanted to make sure that everything was…okay."

"Elijah," her voice was soft and cautious as she sat up straighter and played with the material of her skin tight pants. "I'm a big girl. I've literally watched thousands of people die in my life. I did my time mourning Andrei in the years before and after I turned. Just because he happens to be alive doesn't change any of that. I would really just rather if we could move on from this situation."

I could clearly tell that she was hurt, no matter how much she tried to keep that hidden. I didn't know anything about her relationship with Andrei, just like I didn't know anything about her relationship with her daughter. But I did know how Katherine acted when she felt hurt, I had hurt her enough to recognise it.

"What else did you have to say? Because I'm sure everyone would want us to join them down stairs." She stood up from the bed and stared at me determined.

"I want to know how you are Katherine." I reached forward and grabbed her hand tightly in my own. "And you're not leaving this room until you tell me."

"Really?" She licked her lips and batted her eyes up at me. I gulped. This could possibly turn into something bad. I watched Katherine smile up me and place both her hands on my shoulders. "And how you would you, the nicest and most noble of the original family, keep little old me here?"

"Katherine, I just want to make sure that you're okay." I whispered, leaning closer towards her and pulling her into an almost hug.

"Elijah," her lips were almost a breathe away from mine and I could feel each breathe she took, "just because that man isn't dead and just because I am here with the daughter who was torn from my arms, doesn't mean anything is wrong with me."

"You're eyes are bloodshot." Her lips brushed against my own and I had to fight not to pull her into a passionate kiss. "You've been crying."

In an instant she had pulled away and turned her back to me. She walked around my bed, to the opposite side of the room. I didn't follow her across the room, I stood watching her every move. She looked out the small window, arms crossed across her chest. She moved along and stared at the shelves full of my journals. She still had her back to me, purposely avoiding my eye contact.

"I have every right to cry Elijah. Women, even undead women, tend to get a bit emotional every now and again." She stopped in front of a particular row of journals, bent down, and skimmed the years that were on the sides. She found a journal with a date that obviously meant something to her, and she picked it up tossing it between her two hands. "Evil bitches get emotional too."

She turned the pages of the journal, only reading the date in the top right hand corner of each page until she reached a particular date. She walked back over to the bed, journal still open. She flopped back down, not caring about how sprawled out she looked. Her legs remained uncrossed and she kicked her heeled boots off so that she could climb further up the bed. I kept watching her, wondering what journal she held and what would be on the page that she read.

I tended to write a fair bit about Katherine, even centuries after she had fled London. I had always wondered what she was doing and why she had run. I could only wonder if the pages that she read were written about her, and if they were how could she know that?

"July 4th, 1992. Dear journal, today my brother killed the son of the minister. Rather abhorrent behaviour, but necessary. Or so he says. Sometimes I really do wonder why we stay with him after all the bad he has done. And then I catch a glimpse of the Niklaus that we used to know. The one that had fun and didn't have this much hurt following him everywhere he goes. It has been almost 1000 years since we were turned and I hope that one day all of us will be awake and we can be a family once more, without the pain and secrets that have held us back and made us what we always feared. Monsters in the night."

"Why July 4th 1994." I asked, cutting her off before she could read anymore of the entry. She looked up at me and smiled mischievously.

"Dear diary," she whispered while closing my diary and laying back on the bed, "today marks my 520th birthday. It has been 130 years since I faked my death and I believe Klaus thinks that I have in fact died. Last I heard Klaus still walked around with his family in coffins, and at this moment Elijah is the only one of them that is awake. My dearest Elijah as always, have been the voice of reason to his brothers' rash decisions. Keeping Klaus in check enough for them to pass as human." She paused for a moment, looking up at the ceiling and smiling at what she was about to say. "It's on days like my birthday that I relax and reflect on my many centuries on this earth. I look back on my years and I think about all the stuff that I have gone through and all the things I have to live for. I was once a human, a daughter, a sister, and a mother. Now I am a vampire, I'm a survivor."

She finished and closed her eyes, still laying down on the bed. "Is that a real diary entry or did you make it up for my amusement?"

"Real. My 520th birthday. I spent it with my great, great, great, great, great, great, granddaughter, before she went into labour of course. The day before a witch friend of mine had written to me to let me know how your family was going. I liked to be kept up to date on everything Mikaelson back then. Heaven forbid I be caught and tortured by your evil brother. How times have changed, am I right?"

I moved forward and sat myself gently on the edge of the bed, careful not to wrinkle my suit too much. I thought about her words, 'my dearest Elijah has been the voice of reason'. The voice of reason. I had been described as such many times before by my own family, but it made me wonder how my family seemed from afar. Katherine hadn't spent much time with us back then, and even then it had been just my brother and I at the time. She had arrived in a period of time between Rebekah being daggered and Kol being woken up. I was mainly the voice of reason between me and my siblings, but sometimes my siblings reasoned with me. Katherine had been very observant of my brother and I, it seemed. How else could she have gotten 'the voice of reason' from her month in England with my brother and myself?

"You kept watch on us for all that time?" I whispered, trying to process all of the new information I had received about Katherine in the past day. So much more had happened to her than I could even fathom. I could understand, from what I knew, why she was the way she was. The evil she spread and the pain she inflicted had all stemmed from things she had experienced in her life, a life that she kept well hidden from the world.

"Seriously?" She laughed, placing her hand on my shoulder and pulling herself closer to me. "Did you think I was gallivanting around without a care in the world? I ran for my life for 500 years, a day didn't go by when I wasn't watching over my shoulder for your family and the sniffer dogs your brother had out on the hunt. Even if he wasn't directly searching for me, if he got word of me being alive he'd come and kill me."

"So why that date particularly?" I asked, curious as to why she had chosen that date to read, out of all the years and dates in all of my journals. "Out of all of the birthdays you've had, what makes that one so significant?"

"It was the day that the key to my freedom was born. That day Isabelle Fleming went into Labour in Mystic Falls Virginia and gave birth the bubbling bundle of joy that was to become Elena Gilbert."

It shocked me quite a lot to know that Katherine had kept track of her family enough to be there the day in which the latest doppelgänger was born. I still wasn't quite sure what Elena being born meant for Katherine in the here and now. I couldn't be sure if it was because of the onslaught of family that she had in the past day, or if she was trying to manipulate the conversation.

"So, Elena was born on the same day you were?"

"Yes. All of the Petrova doppelgänger's were born on the 4th of July. Fates way of keeping everything in order I suppose." She stood up from my bed, walking over to the shelf and replacing the journal back to where she had gotten it from.

"And what does that have to do with anything at the moment? I mean, I'm all for learning more about you Katherine but this seems almost too…random for you."

She turned back around to face me, a smile finding its way onto her timeless face. She brushed her fingers through her hair absentmindedly, a far-look finding its way onto her face. She walked forward and gradually, as if an invisible wall had collapsed, she wrapped her arms around her face and a tear came to her eyes.

"I had made a deal with Isabelle, to take Elena once she was born. I was going to trade her life for mine, but when I joined Isabelle in the delivery room and when I watched her give birth to Elena, I couldn't take her." She now stood in front of the small window that looked out onto the view I had been looking at earlier that day. Her arms were still wrapped around herself, I couldn't see her face but I could only image the look that was haunting it. "Childbirth is a beautiful thing. I hadn't been around a pregnant women, let alone watch someone give birth, since I myself was pregnant. It was very…confronting for me. Isabelle refused to hold Elena, she said she didn't want her and that if she held her it would make it so much harder to say goodbye. So Dr Gilbert handed her to me. She was so tiny and so precious and I knew that I couldn't take her. Not yet, anyway. So, I ended up convincing Grayson and Miranda Gilbert to adopt her and I vowed I wouldn't return until she was old enough to defend herself."

I thought about what that must have been like for Katherine. I knew her well enough to know that she would do anything to help herself survive. It shocked me, to some extent, that she hadn't traded Elena with my brother. Or kept her for herself. But on the other hand, I didn't know Katherine as well as I thought I did. She had had a daughter before she had come to London, a daughter I had no idea about until recent revelations. She was adapt in keeping secrets about herself, and I wouldn't doubt that there were hundreds of more secrets that she could reveal and shock me even more with.

She turned back to me from the window, a stray tear running down her cheek. I had the urge to run to her side and wide it away, holding her to my body as tight as I could without it hurting her. But I restrained myself. I stayed seated, looking over at her small frame as she walked away from the wall. Something about Andrei showing up today had changed her so much that I had to look hard to recognise any shred of the girl I had fallen hopelessly in love with. Not that that was a bad thing, I liked that she was opening up more, especially to me. It was one of the issues I had had when she had asked me to go away with her, I had known she had done bad things but I hadn't gaged just how bad they stemmed too.

"I still don't see your point Katherine."

"I could have had a second chance when Elena was born. I never got to hold Nadia, never even got to see her beautiful face. It's my biggest regret, not standing up to my father, losing the only child I'd ever have." She walked towards me, tears running heavily down her already tear-stained cheeks. "I've done some pretty bad things in my lifetime Elijah, horrible things to innocent people. But what Andrei did to me, what he caused. I thought he had died, that's what my father told me. I was told he had been killed, and then my father told me that I would not be able to keep the baby. But now I can see what had happened. My father must have planned it or something, paid Andrei off. I don't know. But he left and I lost everything, and I was sent to London, waiting around like bait on a hook for your brother to find me and sacrifice me."

She was so close now, I could hear her heart pounding in her hard, sheltered heart. I reached forward and pulled her onto my lap, holding her as close to me as I could possibly get her. She nuzzled in, still crying. Andrei showing up did something to Katherine that I never thought could ever happen. It broke her. In all the time that I had known Katherine she didn't open up about her emotions, not even when she was human. And here she was in my lap crying her eyes out like I was the only person who could give her comfort.

The feel of her face against my neck, and the tears that now stained my suit sent something through me. I loved Katherine. Not just the Katerina I had fallen for, but the Katherine which she was today. She wasn't cold-hearted as she made everyone believe. She cared enough to help Caroline and to be upset when she found out the father of her daughter was alive. She cared enough to break down in front of me.

She shifted and nuzzled closer to me, holding me tightly in her grip. I had my arms wrapped around her waist, massaging it firmly, giving her any comfort that I could. I didn't know how I could possibly go forward without her in my life. She pushed away from me, smiling a small smile at me with tears still running down her cheeks. I leant in and gently brushed my lips against her forehead, this time in acceptance instead of goodbye.


	21. Chapter 18

A/N: Hello! How has everyone been? This update takes place after Katherine and Elijah left the room and Nadia mentioned Kol in front of everyone. It's not my best chapter, but it needed to be done so I pushed through it and finished it. As I promised this chapter is in Caroline's point of view, not necessarily Klaroline but there's something at the end that I think you will all like.

Enjoy!

 **CHAPTER EIGHTEEN: WHAT COMES NEXT.**

Klaus took steps towards Nadia, his face was hard and it looked like he was holding back anger. Nadia sat entirely relaxed as if she hasn't just said something that completely defied the laws of nature as we knew it. "That's not possible. If Kol had sired you, then you would have died when he did."

Nadia looked down at her hands, staring at her nails while smiling secretively to herself. Something was definitely up, and I could tell that Nadia knew a whole lot more about certain things than probably any of the originals did. "Yes, I should have, shouldn't have I?"

"Now what could you possibly mean by that?" Klaus walked even closer to Nadia. I had seen his like this before, and it was never a good thing.

"Well," Nadia stood up from the chair, standing facing Klaus head on, "I mean that Kol and I took special precautions so that if anything befell him, may he rest in peace, I would still be alive and kicking."

"Kol, our younger brother," Rebekah sneered, standing up on the other side of the table with an evil look on her face, "who always liked to take risks and do bad things, took precautions so that you wouldn't have died when he did?"

Nadia sighed and reached for a small handbag she had brought with her. She opened the Gucci bag and rummaged for a while before producing a small phone, one that definitely wasn't her personal phone. It was still a smart phone, but I had seen her use her personal phone and this one was far less fancy. She tapped away for a moment before opening a video and holding it up for Klaus to see. Rebekah, Hayley and I moved so that we could all see what she was showing us.

"Hey Sweetheart," it was a video of Kol sitting in Klaus' mansion in front of one of the fire places. He looked dishevelled and in a sort of panic, "I know I told you that I would contact you again soon and I'm sorry I haven't messaged sooner. Things here aren't going too well, they're too close to finding Silas and you know I can't let that happen. If something happens to me, if I die, you know it'll have been for a good cause. I love you Nadia, you're the closest friend that I've ever had. I hope that I'll be able to contact you soon, but if you don't hear from me know that I'll always be watching over you from the other side."

We stared at the screen as it went black, Klaus and Rebekah in shock with Hayley looking guilty. I remembered when I'd gone to Elena's house after they'd all gone off with Shane, seeing Klaus standing there trapped while not being able to stop looking at his dead brother. I had always hated how Jeremy and Elena had dealt with that. Violence should always be a last resort, and it was because of my friends that he was dead. I took a step back, emotions welling up in my chest. I tried to hold back my over-emotional tears, but because of the new hormones racing through my human body a sob escaped my throat. Everyone turned to me looking shocked at my teary reaction to the video of Kol. The sobs kept falling and Klaus didn't hesitate to wrap his arms around my shoulders.

"It's just so sad." I cried, wrapping myself into Klaus. "It's because of my friends that he's gone and even though I didn't know what they were going to do, I feel so guilty."

Klaus continued to hold me in his arms, I relished in the warmth. I could hear that Rebekah and Nadia were arguing behind us, but my sobs were still loud so that their voices were barely audible. I tried to stop my crying, hiccupping as I suppressed them. I pulled away from Klaus and rubbed at my eyes. I felt so weak and so useless now that I was human. In my mind I had already found out the logical reason behind my tears, but my body didn't seem to want to cooperate.

"I'm sorry." I whispered, rubbing at the tears that still spilled from my eyes. "I swear I'm more emotional now than I was before I turned. Must be a hormone overload or something."

"I don't understand, if Kol knew something bad was going to happen, why would he send you a message and not one of us? You know, his family." Rebekah was saying, pointing an accusing finger at Nadia. Nadia stood, still completely relaxed, in front of Rebekah. She didn't seem to be paying any attention to the anger that Rebekah had.

"Maybe because I didn't shove a dagger in his chest and carry him around in a coffin." She stared pointedly at Klaus and then turned her gaze to Rebekah. "Besides, I probably know more about Kol than you all do. I know how he works, how he plans the things he does. I have no doubt that he's on the other side scheming right now."

I debated Nadia's words. I didn't know Kol, I had only seen him alive a couple of times. Once at the Mikaelson ball, then again in the grill when he was drinking with Klaus. I'd spent more time with his dead body than with him as a person. He had wanted to kill Matt and succeeded in breaking his hand, and he had tried to kill both Jeremy and Elena. What little I did know about him revolved more around Klaus than it did anyone else. I silently wondered what Kol had been like and if Nadia was right and that he had plans to return to the land of the living.

"I can see that the atmosphere in here didn't ease once we'd left." Katherine spoke from the entrance, swaying into the room with as much sass as she could muster. None of us chose to address her red eyes and cheeks, the tell-tale signs of crying she's obviously just been doing. Or the wet patch on Elijah's shoulder.

"We were all still trying to recover from your previous presence in the room Katherine. It's a shame you weren't gone longer." Klaus laughed, looking over at her sarcastically. Things were clearly different between the two of them now, they had some sort of understanding. Which shocked me quite a bit, because last time I saw either of them talk about the other it was on murderous terms or with fear.

Katherine laughed along with him and came over to stand by her daughter. I watched her, wanting to ask if she was okay, but not wanting to address any form of weakness within her. I wiped my eyes, the remaining tears I had shed just before when we had been talking about Kol, embarrassed that I was so emotional now that I was human. Katherine looked at me curiously before looking around the room more, probably trying to figure out the real reason why we were all tense.

"Did you know your daughter knew Kol?" Rebekah asked, staring accusingly at Katherine who's face showed instant shock.

"No," she said carefully, looking at her daughter with interest, "I had no idea she knew any of your family, including you Rebekah."

"Well," Nadia replied, shifting in the position she stood in, "maybe if you had had any previous desire to get to know me, I might have told you about how I knew Kol."

Katherine whole body froze and she turned to Klaus with a small smile. "I need to speak with Marcel and from what I hear you're trying to get in close with him so that you can regain control of your city. Are you wanting to come with me?"

I tried to remember what Katherine had told me about Marcel. What little information she had given me was either about his reign of the city, or the fact he had the witch she needed to see. I wondered what connection he had with Klaus, besides the fact that Klaus wanted to obviously be the 'king' of New Orleans. _Always wanting to be the top dog_ , I thought to myself as I moved my legs carefully to try and relax them a bit.

"I'm not even going to ask how you know Marcel," he started, shaking his head and eying Katherine, "but what could he possibly have that you want and that I cannot give you?"

Katherine moved forward, staring at Klaus almost seductively. Her eyes glowered at him and she placed a careful hand on his forearm. "He has a rather powerful witch friend of mine at his disposal, someone who I need to have a very important discussion with about a certain blonde ex-vampire you like."

"Davina?" Elijah spoke quietly and something told me that he knew just how powerful the witch that Katherine wanted to speak to was. Klaus looked almost worried about Katherine's intentions and I reached hesitantly over the miniscule distance to brush my hand against his, comforting him and letting him know that I trusted Katherine's intentions.

"I'll come with you to see Marcel. I don't trust him, especially when his pet witch is the one you're going to ask to help with Caroline."

"Good. I had hoped you'd want to join me." Katherine turned to face Nadia. "You better come too, you've been a part of this community for a while. I expect Marcel has your trust by now."

Nadia placed her phone back in her bag and slung it over her shoulder. She smiled over at her mother and flicked her hair over her shoulder. "Marcel is an old friend, I suppose having me there couldn't hurt."

I watched the meaningful look that Katherine and Nadia shared, glad that Katherine was finally wanting to include her daughter in her life. I looked behind them to Hayley and Rebekah, I could only assume I would be staying here and from past experience, Rebekah would be staying behind.

"Great, the more the merrier." Klaus walked away from the group and out past Elijah into the entrance room. He stopped in front of a large set of antique drawers near the front door and rummaged through a drawer he unlocked with a key from his pocket. He stopped rummaging and he pulled out a syringe. He came back towards me and I watched his every step. He held the small plastic tube out to me and I took it in my hands carefully. "Elijah and Rebekah will stay here with you and Hayley. However, if anyone comes here with the intention to cause harm you have no way to defend yourself. The people who come, not that they will come but there's always that risk, will probably be vampires. This a syringe of highly concentrated vervain and werewolf venom combined, inject your attacker with it and they'll drop quicker than they can hurt you. We'll be back soon, I don't want to be gone too long."

"Klaus I'm sure Elijah and I can protect Hayley and Caroline. You don't need to go through protection procedures like we've never had to go up against anyone before. And I doubt Marcel would send anyone here, he knows that we can take anyone down." Rebekah's voice was cocky towards the end. She glared at Klaus with annoyance, but when I looked at Elijah he seemed to understand why Klaus wanted him and his sister to stay behind. He didn't seem like the person who would overestimate their strength and power, he knew that it was important to be prepared for anything, even if that anything meant handing me a syringe that could taking any vampire in this room down original or not.

"Rebekah, we both know that if I hadn't of asked you to stay behind you wouldn't have wanted to go."

"That's not true," she shouted at Klaus, it was easy to read that what Klaus had said was true, "I would have wanted to go either way."

"Listen, Rebekah," Katherine spoke this time looking at Rebekah with sympathy, "I don't think it would be the best for you to come with us. This is going to be a delicate situation and given your past with Marcel it might make things more difficult for us. I need Marcel to be on my side for what I'm going to ask of the lovely Davina Clare."

"So what, I'm just supposed to sit here and babysit the werewolf and the human?"

Klaus laughed and leant forward, taking e by utter surprise when he kissed me on the cheek. I froze and Katherine winked at me over his shoulder. He stood up straight while acting as if he hadn't just done what he did. He smiled at Rebekah. "Yes, you are."


	22. Chapter 19

A/N: Another update less than 24 hours after my last one. I just finished writing this one and I love it. It's in Klaus' point of view and it's really moving the story forward to the drama I want to create. So I hope you all like it as much as I do. I just want to add that I've had nearly 25,000 views on my story, which I never thought would ever happen. Like ever. Anyway, I'm about to start the next chapter (chapter 20). So let's get excited, am I right?

Enjoy!

 **CHAPTER NINETEEN: A LITTLE PARTY NEVER KILLED NOBODY.**

The car ride was somewhat awkward. I could tell that Katherine was anything but comfortable sitting in the passenger seat of my car. Nadia was sitting in the middle chair of the backseat, leaning back watching Katherine and I. I didn't have to look back at her to know that she was having a hard time. Anyone would have a hard time after spending the day with Katherine, meeting their father for the first time and being confronted with the amount of stuff she had been.

I was shocked to say the least when Caroline had told me that Katherine's daughter was alive. I hadn't even known Katherine had a daughter until Elena was discovered, I thought I had killed off the Petrova line when I had killed Katherine's whole family. It was quite interesting to meet her, she seemed a lot like her mother in looks and in personality. She also looked like her father, she had Andrei's eyes.

Katherine had her hands resting on her knees and her handbag strap hooked on one of her fingers, the bag sitting on the floor by her feet. We didn't speak, the only noise being the car engine and faint tune of music that was turned down to the point even I couldn't hear the lyrics. We didn't speak about what was going to be said at Marcel's or how Katherine planned to get even close to Davina, but I knew she had a number of plans set out. She always did.

"So what's the plan, Katherine?" I asked, breaking the silence and making both of the Petrova's turn to look at me. "I just want everyone to be on the same page when we go and see Marcel. I don't want him to think we're there for anything but helping Caroline."

"Well, the 'plan' as you put it, is pretty much we go to Marcel who is probably in a bar somewhere and we ask him to talk to Davina. He'll take us to her and I'll ask her help with Caroline. It's that simple." Katherine's plan wasn't as elaborate as I thought it would be. And I had absolute no faith in it. How did she expect to just walk up to Marcel and get access to his most prized member of his little 'family'? 

"I don't think that's going to work sweetheart, not in the way you want it to."

"Well, I've known Marcel a long time, I've also known the coven Davina was a part of for longer than New Orleans existed. I'm sure I can get what I want if I just put my mind to it." She smiled sideways at me, keeping her eyes trained on the dark road. "Besides, I might even surprise you."

We all went silent again after that, I thought over what Katherine had said. I didn't know what was going to happen, but I decided I would just have to follow Katherine's lead. No matter how disgusting that made me feel.

It didn't take us long to reach the French Quarter, and I took notice of all the people on the streets partying. Nadia was perfectly still in the back, when I turned to look at her she was sitting straight and kept her eyes strictly forward. Katherine, however, was turning her head every direction and she was watching the city like a hawk. She took in every site that she could, and I suspected that she was just reacquainting herself with a city that she knew well. Probably better than I did, and I was the one who built it.

I pulled up in the only free car park that was close to the building Marcel and his vampire friends frequented. I knew he'd be in there with every member of his honorary family, drinking alcohol and blood while keeping a close watch on everyone who came and went. I was the first out of the car, Nadia and Katherine following closely behind me as we stepped onto the pathway and closer to the door to Marcel's. The music was loud, masking any protesting sound that came from inside. Katherine looked panicked but quickly masked it with a signature seductive smirk. Nadia did the same thing, both mother and daughter looking pleasantly amused. It was their battle face. I, myself, just kept my face normal, the face Marcel knew me to wear now that I was the all-powerful hybrid.

We were greeted at the door by one of Marcel's henchmen, he glowered at me and then caught site of Katherine and Nadia. His face went from intimidating to arousal. I knew why Katherine wouldn't have wanted Elijah here tonight. Her plan involved her womanly charm, and it seemed that Nadia had the same idea.

"Tomlin James Dubois, it has sure been a long time." Katherine's voice dripped with only one thing, sex. She was putting it on thick, and from the look on the vampire's face it was working.

"Kitty Kat Pierce, what brings you back to the French Quarter, and with such unpleasant company?"

Katherine laughed as Tomlin looked behind her to me, staring me down. He had been there when I bit Marcel's second in command, Thierry, and it was clear he was still angry at me for it. Even if Marcel had kind of forgiven me. Katherine played with a ringlet of her hair and reached forward to lightly touch the vampire's arm. He looked down at her hand and gulped. Nadia stood perfectly still, staring at the young man adoringly. This was someone she knew. He looked up with his dark brown eyes and smiled when he saw Nadia.

"Aunty, it has been too long. When did you return home?" Nadia smiled tightly at him, stepping forward and pulling him into a quick hug.

"Tomlin it's nice to see your still close to Marcel, how have you been darling?" Nadia didn't make eye contact with Katherine or me when she stepped back, ignoring our questioning looks.

"I've been great," Tomlin was tall and muscular, as he reached up to brush his light brown hair out of his eyes I noticed something that I probably should have realised earlier. I was the odd one out here. Sure, I was close to Marcel and I could be helpful here tonight. But I wasn't needed to do this. Both Katherine and Nadia knew people here and it was clear that I could only be a hindrance. I wondered why Katherine would want me here if I wasn't needed. Surely she wouldn't have invited me just to be near me. "I've been just working for Marcel and hanging out. Are you staying at the plantation? Maybe I could come and visit you when I'm not working?"

"Of course sweetheart, you know I always delight in the company of my family." Nadia's voice was edgy and she looked around cautiously. She was related to the young vampire, but not by blood.

He waved us into the big renovated warehouse and instantly we looked for Marcel in the crowd of people who were gyrating against each other to the horrendous beat of the music. Katherine spotted him first, nudging me and Nadia and motioning to the top of the room with her head. Marcel stood at the bar with Thierry and a couple of other people in his entourage. They seemed to be enjoying their time and all three of them were talking to a small petite blonde human who was flirting with them.

We pushed our way through the people, sometime shoving people to the side as we got closer and closer to the space that didn't have as many people pushed together. We made our way up a small set of steps off of the dancefloor and into the bar/ lounge area of the room. Marcel looked up when Thierry elbowed him, having seen us approach. Marcel smiled predatorily at me and then he saw who I was with.

I had never seen Marcel grin quite as wide as he did when he saw Katherine by my side. He showed his teeth and swaggered forward. His arms held out wide in greeting to her. He called out to all of his close family and spoke loud and clear. "I'd like to saw a welcome back to the myth, the legend, and the baddest bitch of all. Katerina Petrova." He embraced her and picked her up, spinning her in a circle before placing her back onto the ground. "Baby, you have no idea how I've missed your delectable presence."

"Marcel, it's good to see you after all this time." Katherine kissed his cheek and stepped away from him carefully, being affectionate but not too affectionate. She pointed to Nadia absentmindedly and smiled brightly. "Do you know Nadia?"

Marcel nodded and smiled at Nadia, coming forward to give her a hug while kissing both of her cheeks. He held onto her shoulder as they stepped away from each other. The embrace of old friends. "Nadia, it is nice to see you back home. How was Milan?"

"It was as distracting as it ever could be since my husband's passing, but it is good to be back home where I belong."

Marcel barely acknowledged me, nodding his head in my direction but keeping his main focus on Katherine and Nadia. He led the three of us over to where he had been standing flirting with the young girl, who couldn't have been older than 18. I chose to ignore the fact that Thierry was now disappearing with her.

Marcel ordered our drinks, asking for shots of blood to be put in the glasses, none of us protested or asked where the blood had come from, knowing it probably wasn't a blood bad. We sat down, Marcel sitting between Katherine and Nadia, and myself sitting to the side watching the three of them carefully. Feeling more out of place than I should be. I sipped at my drink carefully, unsure about drinking anything tonight, not that it would ever inhibit my actions with the tolerance that I had.

"So," Marcel started, looking between the three of us as he perched comfortably on the uncomfortable bar stool, "what brings the three of you together here at my establishment? I doubt all three of you coincidentally decided to attend one of my parties tonight."

"I need to see Davina, Marcel." Katherine's voice was quiet and cautious. Her voice spoke with a tone that said she knew how precious Davina was to Marcel. "It's important that I ask her a few questions."

Marcel clearly tensed and took a long swig from his glass. He looked sharply at me, accusingly. He chuckled menacingly and tapped the bar anxiously. I watched his every move, trying to anticipate what he would do or say next. "And let me guess Klaus here politely asked you to do that for him."

"Me ask Katherine for help?" I laughed, downing the rest of the blood laced bourbon in my glass. "If I wanted something from your Marcel, I'd just ask. I don't need to use Katherine as a pawn."

Marcel looked to Katherine and she nodded discretely. "I'm here on my own volition, Marcel. A mutual friend of mine and Klaus' has had something rather shocking happen to her and I feel that Davina may have answers that we need. The only reason Klaus is sitting here right now, and not with that friend, is because he wants to make sure that you understand his sincerity on this subject. If you don't want him there when I speak with her that's fine, but I thought it was important he be here when I asked you."

Marcel looked thoughtful for a moment, waving the bartender back and ordering himself another drink. This time he asked for a double shot of blood. I thought back to Caroline and how I was counting on Katherine knowing what she was doing in order to keep the woman I loved safe. I had no idea why Katherine was doing this, and what had her so interested but in my mind I knew that she really wanted to help. Even if that meant her and myself working together to find a solution.

When his drink arrived Marcel drank it all in one go, Nadia and Katherine were still on their first drink and I decided I should order a second while the man behind the bar was here. Tonight I would need that edge off, to try and calm myself enough so that I could power through the night without killing anyone. I needed to help Caroline in any way that I could because she was human now, and even so, I cared so much more about her now than I ever thought I would let myself feel about anyone.

"Who is the friend you want Davina to help?" He whispered, his voice calm and as if we hadn't touched his strongest nerve.

"Her name is Caroline. She's young and I turned her after she had been in a horrible car crash with some friends. She helped the Mikaelson family in Mystic Falls when they ran into trouble and she saved my life recently. She's quite smart and she'll go far in life, if she's given the chance. She recently had something happen to her, as I said, and we're not quite sure what it means for her as a person. That's why we need Davina. It may be nothing, but we don't want to take that chance on such a good friend."

Marcel sat in thought for a minute, nodding to Katherine in acceptance of what she had said. Then he turned to me and smiled at me as if we'd just let him in on some massive secret. "So this Caroline, is she attractive?"

His question made me tense and I had to use all of my control not to growl at him. Wolf instinct almost taking over. "Very." I bit out.

"And she's just a friend, right?"

"Yes, she's just a friend. But a dear one." My words seemed to click something in his brain and he laughed out a hearty laugh.

"I didn't know you had friends Klaus. I thought you had 'subjects' and people you chose to do your bidding." He patted me on the shoulder and I let some of the tension go, relaxing slightly but not letting my guard down.

"If you ever meet her you'd understand what I mean."

We sat silent for a moment, I listened to the music and watched the hoard of people dancing together. I didn't understand the new music, but I enjoyed watching how the people interacted with one another. I was never one to turn down a party, but I only wished that Caroline wasn't a human now and that she could see these things. See more than just Mystic Falls balls and banquets.

Nadia stood up and walked over to someone she seemed to recognise and Katherine watched on as Nadia talked animatedly to the woman she had approached. Nadia had lived here some time ago, it seemed, and she knew a lot of the people in the town. Katherine had clearly spent time here as well, sometime after I had left I would guess.

"You can speak to Davina, but I'll have to ask her if she's comfortable with Klaus being there. I may be taking care of her, but I don't control her every decision." He looked at us both and pulled out his phone and dialled a number. Katherine and I waited patiently, watching and listening carefully to Marcel's every move. When the person on the other end answer, Marcel smiled happily and spoke in a tone I hadn't heard for a long time. "Hey Sweetheart, how are you going this evening?"

"I'm okay Marcel," The small voice replied, sounding small in comparison to the noise of the room we were currently sitting in, "is everything okay? Why are you calling me so late?"

"I'm fine Sweetheart, I'm currently sitting with someone who would very much like to see you."

"Who is it? You know I don't like visitors Marcel."

"It's someone you'll definitely like to see. The person she wants to bring with her however, is Klaus Mikaelson. They've agreed that he doesn't have to come, but I thought I'd ask you in case you didn't mind him being there."

The young witch sighed on the other side of the phone. She was quite for a moment before she spoke, and in that time Marcel eyed Katherine, Nadia and I carefully. "Yeah, he may as well. As long as it's quick. I'm in no mood for a long drawn out conversations that's just going to tire me out."

Marcel nodded his head even though Davina couldn't see him. "Is tonight alright? We could head over now just to get it over and done with, if you'd like."

"Yeah, sure." Then she hung up. Marcel pocketed his phone threw a few notes down on the bar. He motioned for Thierry to return from the dark corner he sat in with the blonde girl. He walked over, wiping blood from his lip and leaving the girl sitting there calmly with a smile on her face and blood dripping down her neck.

"Thierry watch the club while I'm out will you. I'll be back later. And do not leave, not even for the pretty blonde you've stashed away."

Thierry nodded and waved the girl over. He grabbed a napkin for the bar and wiped her neck clean, compelling her to go and dance in the crowd for a while. She smiled at him and wandered off mindlessly, dancing carefully to the fast paced rhythm of the room. Thierry sat down in the seat that Marcel vacated, watching the room from his vantage point. Katherine and I followed Marcel, calling Nadia over and she hurried a goodbye before following us through the crowd and out of the building.

I was shocked by how much quieter it was in the street, and instead of going to my car so that we could drive to the building where Marcel kept Davina, Marcel just strolled down the street. We followed behind him, keeping what probably seemed as unnaturally quiet behind him as we walked on. He stopped occasionally to greet people he knew, and now that it was dark it was clear to tell that most of the people he greeted were vampires. Vampires who didn't have the privilege of having a daylight ring.

We arrived outside of the decrepit building and Marcel led us inside, walking us up flights of stairs until we reached a small door at the very top of the building. The attic. He knocked twice and waited for what seemed forever. My nerves were getting the best of me and I hoped that Davina would be able to help Caroline. The one person who never deserved to be caught up in any of this.

The door opened to reveal the small brunet that I hadn't had the pleasure of meeting properly just yet. Elijah had spoken with her, but I had very briefly seen her. She smiled at Marcel as she opened the door, coming forward to wrap her arms around him. She was young, only 16 at the most, and she wore a little floral print dress that accentuated her smile and the shine in her eyes. She pulled back from Marcel to look at where the three of us stood behind him. As soon as she saw Katherine she pushed Marcel aside and ran into Katherine's open arms.

"Aunty Kitty." Katherine enveloped Davina in a warm hug, smiling warmly at the young girl.

"It's nice to see you again Davina, it has been far too long. I'm sorry to hear about everything that happened with your coven, but I am glad that you are okay."

"It's alright." Davina whispered, ushering us all into her large living space. The attic was full of drawings and paintings covering every inch of the wall and the ceiling. I looked around, noticing what some of the pictures showed. After close inspection, seeing myself and my family in quite a few of them, I realised that this must be a part of her magic. She would channel her visions and powers into drawings to show what she had seen. She pointed to a small couch and chairs for us to sit down on, herself plopping down on a stool of in front of a large piece of paper. When I saw what she had been drawing on the paper I froze. It was Caroline. The same image I had been painting for the past couple of days. Where she was smiling and laughing with me outside of the Grill in Mystic Falls.

"So how can I help you all tonight?" Her voice seemed innocent, but I could tell she knew more than she was letting on. She was just the right person to talk to about Caroline, and I had no doubt that she would know exactly what had occurred for her in the past few weeks.

Chills ran up my spine as the picture I stared at behind Davina's face really came to life in my mind. How had Davina seen that very moment? A moment that had happened before I had even thought about leaving Mystic Falls. A moment where my family and I had been fully invested in staying in Mystic Falls and settling down together. I had a bad feeling about this. A feeling that meant that Caroline had more to do with everything than what was originally planned.


	23. Chapter Twenty

A/N: Another update. I AM ON FIRE! I've probably been focusing too much on my writing, but I can't change when I get inspired to write, it just happens. This chapter is in Caroline's point of view and it began as a filler chapter but it grew on me as I wrote it. I hope you all like it because this is a chapter that I quite enjoy. Please review if you have any comments of suggestions, I like to hear feedback from you.

Enjoy!

 **CHAPTER TWENTY: OPENING UP**

We sat in an awkward silence for what seemed like forever when Klaus, Katherine and Nadia left. Rebekah had sat down in a stroppy mood, crossing her arms over her chest and l staring at the table as if she was trying to burn it to the ground with her mind. Elijah had walked to a lone chair in the corner where he could see the whole room, he sat in silence with his hands clasped in his lap and he stared at all places where somebody could enter the room. Hayley had retreated back to the couch she sat on before and started to fiddle with the bay things I had bought for her. She smiled at the stuff within it and tried to remain oblivious to the tension in the room. I sat on the opposite couch to her and Rebekah, pulling my phone out and searching for my mother's name in the contacts, knowing that I should have contacted her as soon as I woke up.

I didn't want to call her when I was around everyone, but I knew that if I messaged her to let her know I was awake she would instantly calm down and be able to concentrate more. I started a message, sighing as I contemplated on what to say to her. Should I thank her for sending me off with Katherine? Did I apologise for ever getting caught up in this mess? I didn't know, I just knew that I needed to let her know that I was okay.

 **Hey Mum, it's Caroline. I woke up, but I guess that's obvious because I'm messaging you. I'm human now, but that's what a cure does I suppose. Everything is okay and I feel perfectly fine. Katherine has been really nice, and the originals have very helpful. Katherine has gone to visit someone she thinks might be able to help me, the person we came here to see. I promise I will call when I'm alone, we really need to talk. But at the moment I'm sitting in a room with two of the Klaus' siblings and a pregnant werewolf.**

 **I love you so much, try not to worry too badly about me.**

 **-Caroline.**

Once I was happy with my message I hit send, smiling at the fact that she would no doubt send me a simple reply, assuring me that everything would be okay and that she'd watch over home while I'm away. Once I sent the message I checked all my missed messages that I hadn't had the time or courage to check yet. I had multiple messages from Elena asking me if I was okay and then wishing me luck on trip, curious as to why I didn't tell her that I was going away. I had the same thing from Stefan, he let me know that Bonnie had gone away with as well, and he updated me on everything else that Elena failed to mention in her texts. Neither of them mentioned the fact that Elena had used the cure and I assumed that Elena was keeping that to herself.

The other messages and missed calls were from Matt to let me know that he had gone to Europe with Rebekah and then to ask me why I hadn't let him know I would be going away. Then finally to let me know I had to message him because he was really worried about me. He was the only one I decided to reply to, the only person who I felt I could tell what had happened. Even though our relationship hadn't worked out, he was still a close friend and he deserved to know that he wasn't the only human left in our group anymore.

 **Hey Matty, I'm sorry that I haven't messaged you lately. I need to tell you something, but you can't tell the others. At least not until I find out everything that has happened to me. On the night of graduation Katherine and Elena got into a fight and I broke it up. But Elena was so out of it that she didn't realise I had pulled Katherine off of her and she shoved the cure down my throat. I'm human now Matt and I don't know how to cope. I was unconscious for three weeks, my mum sent me off with Katherine to find out what was going on with my body. I'm safe though, as safe as someone can be when they're staying with Katherine Pierce and the original family. Sorry I can't be in Mystic Falls right now, and I'm sorry that I don't want the others to know just yet. I'm just not ready to be 'human' Caroline again. I need to travel and find myself and I need to know what the cure means for me from now on. I won't be gone forever, because I don't have a forever any more.**

 **Stay safe Matt. Try to break away from all the supernatural bullshit in Mystic Falls because you are better than that. You deserve more. I'll keep you updated as much as I can.**

 **-Caroline.**

"Are you okay?" Rebekah's voice made me look up and I realised I had a lone tear running down my face. I rushed to brush it away and I took a deep calming breathe.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I just had a couple of hard messages to send to my mum…and Matt. I didn't need them to worry about me."

Rebekah visibly froze when I mentioned Matt and I could tell that she was itching to ask me about him, but she refrained. Hayley was laying out her new baby items in order of product, smiling to herself as she went and completely ignoring everyone else in the room. I stared down at my phone and away from Rebekah's anxious stare. Tonight was going to be more awkward than I had hoped. I wanted to speak and to tell Hayley about a number of baby stores I knew sold good things, but I didn't want to intrude. I wanted to ask Rebekah about her holiday with Matt, but I felt like she wouldn't take that good at all. I also wanted to ask Elijah about him and Katherine and how that even happened 500 years later after she had completely changed from the person she had once been. But I sat quietly playing with the phone case on my phone, hoping that anyone would say anything to break this awkward silence.

We sat there silent for what seemed like forever, my phone didn't go off at all and I knew that my mum would be busy, and I had no idea what Matt had planned for these holidays. I hoped I would get a message soon or else I would just be stuck here staring at my phone with nothing to do.

"So," the voice that spoke was one I didn't expect. It came from Elijah, the mysterious older brother who I really didn't know much about, "Miss Forbes, what are your plans for college and so forth? You must have plans for what you want to do now that you are out of high school."

I smiled over at him, glad that he had cut through the tension in order to ask me a question that was decent enough that I wouldn't feel awkward about it. Both Rebekah and Hayley seemed to stop in order to listen, and I could read the relief they both felt at the silence finally ending.

"Please call me Caroline." I paused and shifted into a more comfortable position, one that made myself seem a lot more relaxed and friendly. "Well, I had planned to go to Whitmore College with Bonnie and Elena. But that was before I was turned human. I was accepted into quite a few schools, but I haven't replied to any of them yet. I might change my mind now that I can only go the one time. I did like Whitmore though, because it was close to home and my friends and family."

Elijah nodded and stopped in thought. Rebekah was watching me and she wore the same facial expression as when I had mentioned Matt. She opened her mouth slowly, only to close it again and then Hayley spoke up.

"What were you planning on studying?" She still sat looking through her baby items and smiling softly to herself, as she stroked the soft material of an outfit from the present I had gotten her.

"I want to start my own party planning business." I immersed myself into the conversations. Excited to finally discuss my plans with people who were listening. "Things like birthday parties, high end business functions, baby showers, weddings, etc. I love planning things like that. Tyler's mom, Carol Lockwood, had my help with most of the big events that she planned. I just have a knack for it, and I find it fun."

"Is that why you got so pissed off when I took over the decade dance and made it 20's themed?" Rebekah spoke up for the first time, a mischievous smile finding its way onto her face.

"Rebekah, be nice." Elijah spoke from his seat in the corner. He had relaxed some, but he still looked carefully around the room and assessed for any threats. His eyes stopped mid-search and landed on me. He smiled stone-like, but I smiled back, grateful that he was trying to make me feel welcome. "That sounds like a decent profession Caroline. It sounds like you have it all planned."

"Well, for the most part. I wasn't expecting on being cured. I had hoped that I could go to school and maybe work for another company before moving on to make my own business. But I wanted to gain enough experience so that I could develop a company that would lift off easily. But I guess now that won't happen."

"You can still do all of that, it will just take a sufficient length of time for you to become established. In some ways it might be better for your future business. You'll have all the struggles and trials and errors before perfecting it. And I'm sure if you ever needed a few extra parties to hold Klaus would throw a party to help you."

We all laughed, Klaus probably would throw a huge ball just so that I could get further experience and so that I had more parties to show as demonstrations for perspective customers. I smiled at the thought of him letting me plan something just for him, and then I caught myself and straightened my face.

"You could plan my baby shower." Hayley said, leaning back and crossing her legs, happy with her organising of her things. "Not that I'll be allowed to invite a lot of people because my pregnancy can't be too public. But it would still be something for you to plan."

I smiled and instantly a hundred thoughts on the perfect baby shower sprung to my head. I could imagine what the Mikaelson baby shower would be like. It would be small, intimate and it would have a formal, yet rustic feel. I tried to hide my enthusiasm at her words, knowing that Klaus probably wouldn't be too happy about me interfering with the woman he'd gotten pregnant. For obvious reasons.

"I don't know." I said it cautiously, not wanting to intrude on any of their future plans for the baby. "Klaus probably wouldn't be too happy about me imposing myself on your business."

"I don't give a rat's ass about what Klaus wants." Hayley's voice was loud and stern. She was showing that she really didn't care about what the Mikaelson's thought about her and what she wanted. Elijah and Rebekah hid smiles at Hayley's words and it was clear that Klaus would be the only person standing in the way. "It's not like I have family or friends that can help and I wouldn't have any clue about how to plan one. And I want one, so that I can tell the baby about it when they're older."

I thought it over more in my head, Rebekah started to look happier and she looked up to meet my eyes. We both were already planning things in our mind. I got excited for the first time in a long time, and I couldn't wait to begin. In the corner of my eyes I could see Elijah smile to himself and he stood up from his seat to excuse himself, before he left the room and travelled somewhere else in the house. Rebekah said something about getting paper and she disappeared leaving Hayley sitting there in silence.

She stared over at me, looking at me guiltily. I remembered what it had been like when I had met the fiery werewolf and how betrayed I had been when I found out about Tyler's infidelity. I also remembered how'd she'd betrayed all of the hybrids and was working with Shane to bring Silas back. But I could also see someone who was afraid and alone. She only had the baby. I could tell that she didn't fully trust the Mikaelson's, which I understood, but that meant that her only ally was her unborn baby. I decided that I was going to throw her the best baby shower anyone had ever seen, just to prove that I didn't blame her for what she had done, and to help her cope with the fact that she had no one.

When Rebekah came back Hayley and I still hadn't spoken to one another, but we had come to an understanding. She placed some paper and pens down on the coffee table next to all of the baby stuff and pulled a laptop out of a floral case. Hayley smiled and moved forward to look at Rebekah's screen while I opened my phone to look up stuff that we'd need.

We got straight to work, and as if we had been friends for years we talked animatedly among ourselves and started to plan what we had dubbed 'the best baby shower in the history of baby showers'.

It was much later on when we heard a car pull into the driveway and Elijah appeared downstairs to sit in the chair he had occupied hours earlier. Rebekah, Hayley and I still worked hard on what we were doing, having planned a number of things needed. We quietened down as the door slammed open and Klaus entered, followed by Katherine and Nadia. He wasn't happy. In fact if I had to place exactly what he was feeling at that specific moment, I would say fear.

The moment they saw the three of us sitting together on the one couch, papers and notes strewn all around us, they stopped. They walked closer to us slowly, being careful as if one movement would make the three of us break into an argument. Katherine looked over at me and, in a very confused way, widened her eyes. Nadia looked as if she wasn't sure about anything, and Klaus looked almost as if he was disturbed by the scene in front of him.

"Welcome back." I smiled at Klaus and brushed s stray blonde hair behind my ear. "How did it go?"

Klaus completely ignored my question and looked to Elijah warily. "What did you do, compel them to be nice to one another?"

Elijah laughed and stood up front the seat he'd only just sat down in. He walked forward and laughed at his brother's reaction. "No, remarkably they decided to be nice themselves."

"What are you guys doing?" Katherine moved past Klaus, brushed her hand against Elijah's arm, and walked over the stand behind the couch where she could see what we were looking at. " _How to make baby shower games that'll bring out the baby in your guests."_ Katherine laughed at the heading of the article Rebekah had open on her computer. I had to admit to myself that it did sound ridiculous, but we needed this baby shower to be unique and engaging. It was a necessary evil. "You really spent the night planning a baby shower?"

I looked up into Klaus' eyes rather than Katherine's and I saw the most incredulous expression I'd ever seen him wear. It took him only a moment to change to angry, and I could see in his eyes that he would probably have a go at us for doing this without his permission.

"Caroline mentioned how she was planning on starting a party planning business after College, so Hayley decided to take advantage of Caroline's talents while she had the chance." Elijah's voice seemed to act like a bucket of ice water on Klaus because his face calmed and he stilled. He looked down at me with sadness in his eyes, the same sadness he had when he told me that I would never be forgotten.

"It's a good idea for Hayley to have a baby shower, even if there aren't as many people to invite as some people would have. It would be like a small gathering that you can tell the baby about once they get older. Some people even have name suggestion games and gender guessing games. There's also like a registry book, writing like a note to the baby and parents put it in a time capsule for their kids to open at their 18th or their 21st." My voice sounded really quiet in the silence that followed Klaus. His expression didn't change as he stared at me, his eyes moved to Hayley who had her head down as she scribbled on the piece of paper she had been using to take notes.

"Ooh cool." Katherine leant down and picked up the paper I had been writing on, reading the notes I had on colour schemes and food ideas. "I like these ideas. I wish we had baby showers back when I was pregnant, or you know I wish I could have had Nadia sometime in modern times. No offense Nadia." Katherine looked up at Nadia and smiled.

Klaus stepped forward quickly and I flinched as he pulled the paper from Katherine's hand, reading it intently. His face softened as he read down the dot points I had made. I had come up with themes as well as colours and a few of them revolved around what Klaus and Hayley shared, wolves. I wanted to make it unique and special for them, so that it would celebrate not only the differences, but the similarities, between Klaus and Hayley.

"Fine." He whispered, making it almost impossible for me to hear him. "You can plan your baby shower, but we've got bigger problems now. Problems that are going to impact all of us as a whole. We need to focus on that before you get too involved in this baby shower. Got it?"

We all nodded yes, agreeing to his terms. What he had said made me worry about their visit with Marcel and the witch Katherine needed to see. Something had happened, that was clear. And it wasn't good. A feeling appeared in my stomach. I had been cured of vampirism, but my involvement with the supernatural was far from over.


	24. Chapter Twenty One

A/N: Hello! It's taken me unusually long to write this chapter, I've been having some personal problems at the moment that have just left me physically, emotionally, and creatively drained. I'm happy that I've finally finished this chapter and I really hope you all like it, even if it isn't as long or as perfect as I wanted it to be. This chapter is in Klaus' point of view, because I promised that there would be more of a focus on Klaus and Caroline rather than Katherine and Elijah.

I just wanted to add that I have a page on Instagram called ishipklaroline2598 where I want to post covers, character posters, trailers, spoilers, etc. So if you have Instagram why don't you go over and follow it.

Enjoy!

 **CHAPTER TWENTY ONE: HOW DOES A MOMENT LAST FOREVER?**

"What do you know about Caroline?" My voice was quiet, but aggressive, as my anger let the words out that I had been thinking ever since I had seen the picture Davina was drawing.

Everyone in the room turned to face me, whereas Davina just smiled knowingly. She fluidly pulled her long brown hair into a tight ponytail and then swivelled on her chair to motion towards the picture. She picked up a piece of charcoal and in a quick, easy, motion she finished off the shading of the Caroline's hair. The one part that I procrastinated over for hours.

"Not as much as you do Niklaus Mikaelson." Her voice was different to what it had been when we she had first spoken. It was airy and vacant, sending chills down my spine. This was the magic talking. Marcel was the only one of the four of us not to have a reaction to the tone her voice had taken. "But I do know a fair amount about the future Caroline Forbes has, and the impact of that on you and everyone else you love."

Her words, tainted by magic as they were, set something off inside of me. I knew her words weren't meant to be used a threat, but the wolf inside of me growled and whimpered in a feat to protect Caroline. For the most part I kept that part of me under control, but every eye turned in my direction as a stray growl left my lips. I quickly pushed the wolf down, mentally scolding myself for losing control so easily.

Davina smiled at me and turned her head to the side. Her deep, hollow, eyes staring straight through me. I shifted uncomfortably under her stare and I instantly regretted agreeing to come here. I should've been with Caroline, protecting her.

 _It's very strange Niklaus._ The haunting voice spoke in my head as Davina kept on looking at me. I let my eyes wonder to everyone else in the room, seeing that no one else could hear what she was saying to me. _This connection you have with the human. It's almost…supernatural._

Quicker than she was there, in my head, she was gone. Her face had gone back to normal, to the way it had been when we had first arrived. And she reluctantly turned back to look at everyone else. Marcel looked at me knowingly, curious about what was just said, whereas everyone else just continued to look at Davina.

"I have answers about Ms Forbes, but you won't necessarily like them." She turned around on her stool, to face the easel she had been drawing on. She picked up a piece of charcoal, her hands already smudged with black. Her hand moved rapidly across the paper, seeming to move like she was programmed to move that way. She wasn't paying attention to what she was doing, in fact her eyes were closed shut.

None of us dared speak, not even Marcel. But he looked like he'd been in this situation many times before, and was completely unfazed. Katherine and Nadia sat perfectly still, watching on content. They too looked like they weren't too shocked by the scene in front of them. But I supposed, it wasn't all that shocking. She was witch with tremendous power, there was probably lots of things that she could do that no one else could.

"Do you know what the cure did to her?" Katherine's voice cut through the silence, causing Davina's hand to briefly pause and her eyes to open.

Her hand continued to move absentmindedly, creating the clear image of Caroline, but her head turned slightly in Katherine's direction. "Yes. It's quite fascinating when you think about it. The cure. An ancient potion to remove all immortality." She closed her eyes again and rolled her neck, sending chills down my spine. "She is now human, which is obvious because she took the cure. But she isn't completely human. The cure took away her immortality, not her supernatural essence."

Her dark hair shined in the dim lighting as she turned back to her drawing, not once making a wrong move in her artwork. The picture was almost done, I could tell because of the amount of hours I had spent doing my own painting of the same scene.

We slipped back into quiet and I considered what she had said. Caroline was human, but she still had a 'supernatural essence'. I didn't know what that meant, but it made me want to growl again. They all looked up at me as I pushed the growl back down, even Davina. She smiled over at me while the others looked just as puzzled as I felt. I was slowly losing more control the longer we sat here and spoke about Caroline.

Davina let out a small laugh and put the charcoal back down in the tray at the base of the easel. She pushed herself up off of the stool and walked over to the far wall, reaching up to pull a drawing down. When she started to walk back over to us, she seemed to be more herself. The magic wasn't taking control of her anymore.

As she sat back down she turned the piece of paper over, to show us what was drawn on it. I felt heat flare up in my face as I took in what she had drawn. It was me and Caroline in her bedroom on her birthday when I had cured the werewolf bite I had ordered Tyler to give her. I was now ashamed of what I had done to Caroline, I hated that I had put her in danger.

"This was a very pivotal time in both the life of you, Niklaus, and of Caroline." Davina's voice stilled echoed slightly, showing she was still using an air of magic in her words. "It was a time in which you began to change, and it was when I had my first vision of Caroline and what she would grow to become."

"What could that possibly mean?" Katherine asked, leaning towards Davina, a glint lighting up in her dark eyes.

"All will be revealed soon enough." Davina replied, her voice penetrating and making my insides churn. Katherine sat up straight, Marcel's eyes watched me closely, and Nadia looked down at her hands.

"All will be revealed?" I growled, my eyes shifting vision into the more primitive site that was tinged red, physically characterised by the transformation of my eyes into gold. "That is all you're going to tell us? That all will be revealed?"

"I can't reveal specific information, that's not how it works." Davina was completely herself now, her eyes staring just as angry at me as mine did her. "Just because I can't reveal specifics, doesn't mean I'm not going to tell you anything. I still have some things up my sleeve."

I let my eyes retract and change back to their normal form, the red tinge fading until everything was back to normal. I stared at Davina carefully, taking in her messy ponytail, paint covered overalls, and charcoal smudged hands, watching her to see any hint of anything that might give away what she knew.

"And what _can_ you tell us?"

"I can tell you that Caroline taking the cure was always going to happen, whether she administered it herself or had it forced on her like it was. I can also tell you that Caroline and you, Klaus, share an unbreakable bond that was fated to both of you since the moment she was born and your hybrid curse was lifted. Other than that I can't tell what she is now, or what she will do. But with the clues I've given you I'm sure you can use your…wolf senses to figure it out."

Everything clicked into place and as I watched the sly smile form on her childlike face. I knew exactly what she was hinting at, and I hoped that I was the only one who got what she was trying to say. I looked at the others and Marcel was the only one who seemed to be confused about Davina's clues. Katherine had the ghost of a smile on her perfect lips, and Nadia had a look in her eyes that told me this wasn't the first time she had encountered what was happening between Caroline and myself.

I was glad that Marcel hadn't understood what was meant by Davina, I didn't need to worry about him any more than I already did. And I didn't want him telling anyone else in case it got to the witches who were already using Hayley and out unborn baby against me.

I looked back over at Davina, smiling brightly at her, happy that this trip wasn't totally useless. She smiled back and stood up from her small stool, straightening out her outfit and holding out her smudged hand towards me. I stood up from where I sat and shook her hand gently, thanking her for her help and her generosity, then I turned to the others and told them that we should head back to the house. Marcel still looked puzzled, but both Katherine and Nadia gave Davina cheerful goodbyes before walking towards the door with me.

Marcel hurried to his feet, giving Davina a quick goodbye before following Nadia, Katherine and myself out of the building and down the street to where my car sat out the front of the building we had come from earlier.

"Thanks for taking us to see Davina, even if what she told us didn't really help us in any way. Her cooperation is appreciated, and it was nice to get a better understanding of what she does." My gruff voice hinting at a threat, not a threat I would ever go through with but one that I used only to show Marcel that I would not mess around and let my guard down. Understanding showed in Marcels' eyes as he told me that it was his pleasure to help out a friend, making a point that that friend was Katherine and not me.

Katherine came forward then and pulled him into a hug while kissing him gently on the cheek. He whispered lightly to her in Occitan, telling her that it was good to see her after so long and she whispered back to him in the same dialect. When Katherine stepped away from him Nadia gave him a one-handed sort of hug that looked more awkward than anything else, promising to come back soon and have a proper reunion.

We quickly got back into my car, pulling out and driving back through the city towards the house we had come from. I watched Marcel in the rear view mirror, pulling out his phone and talking rapidly. I strained myself so that I could listen to what he was saying while I focused on the road ahead of me.

"He asked me to see Davina," Marcel growled into the phone, almost so quiet that I couldn't hear him. Luckily for me I had werewolf and vampire hearing combined, which created an even stronger and far reaching earshot, "what are we going to do?"

I waited to hear the person on the other end reply to him, but all I could hear was quiet mutterings that sounded more like gibberish than words. I kept my ears trained for Marcel's reply to whoever it was he called, but it never came. I looked back to the rear view mirror, still able to see him off in the distance, he wasn't looking at the ground or at his phone anymore. He was looking in my direction, still holding the phone to his face. I turned my eyes back to the road and pressed my foot flat down on the accelerator.


	25. Chapter Twenty Two

**A/N:** Hello everyone! With this chapter I really had no idea what was gonna happen, only a one sentence prompt I wrote months ago. But once I started to write it, ideas flowed and I really could not stop. (I even avoided doing my homework so that I could finish it) This chapter is in Caroline's point of view, and it touches on something that was always going to happen, and what is somewhat in the first few episodes of season five of the show. I really hope you enjoy it, I know I enjoyed writing it. And PLEASE review with what you think, because this chapter is probably my favourite and I want to know if you guys agree.

Enjoy!

 **CHAPTER 22: WINGS**

 **Hey Caroline, It's great to hear from you. Thank you so much for letting me know what happened. I cannot believe that that happened, and I cannot believe that you are staying with Katherine and the originals. What are you thinking? I understand that you need time to adjust and see more of the world (trust me, I really do), but is staying with them really your best option. I'm not gonna make you come home Care, because I trust your judgement, but PLEASE don't do anything that'll put you in more harm. Just be safe. And keep me updated, with everything that's happening.**

 **I love you Care, you're one of the closest friends I have.**

 **-Matt.**

I stared down at my phone for what seemed like the hundredth time since Matt had sent me the message. I had felt uneasy all week, thinking of a something that I could say to him, but I came up with nothing. This morning I had sat, after breakfast, barely even listening to the conversation Katherine and Nadia were having, just staring blankly at the message. It shouldn't be that hard to reply to him, I had messaged and phoned my mum almost instantly when she had messaged me back.

I locked my phone and placed it screen down on the table, trying to get Matt's message out of my mind. Trying to get Mystic Falls out of my mind. I tuned in on what Nadia and Katherine were talking about, both of them seemed tense and I could tell just by the looks on their faces that what they were talking about wasn't a nice subject.

"I don't understand why it's so important to you Nadia, he obviously didn't know how to cope with you being alive. Why don't we just drop it and hope he never shows up again?" Katherine was lounged back on the chair at the head of the table, nursing a glass of amber whiskey and smiling anxiously. "I'm doing just that. I don't need Andrei Moltovitz messing up my life any more than he already has."

Nadia leant forward against the table, glaring over at Katherine angrily. "Can you really blame me for wanting to know who my father is? I've waited rather patiently for the past 500 years and I refuse to give up just because he acted strange when he met me."

"Acted strange?" I laughed quietly, remembering how he acted in response to seeing Nadia. "When I told him who you were his reaction was as if he had planned for you to be dead. I mean, when he saw Katherine he showed interest, when he saw you he showed shock and fear."

Nadia's head turned in my direction, I flinched back at her anger, and out of the corner of my eye I could see Katherine roll her eyes dramatically. I instantly regretted what I had said because I should have known not to mess with Nadia or Katherine, because from my previous experience it never ended well.

"This isn't any of your business." Nadia yelled, her accent seeping through to cause her voice to sound rough and edgy.

"Sorry, but I'm just trying to tell you how it is." I shot back, sounding as serious as I could. "I mean, I know what it's like to have the idea of family shot down by having a mum want to stake me, and a dad who chained me in a vampire prison and try to torture the vampirism out of me. It's not fun, or pretty. Sometimes it's best not to really know the truth about the things you've idealised."

"Hang on." Katherine laughed, placing her glass down while letting out a masterful chuckle. "You're dad _chained_ you in a prison and tortured you? What kind of dad does that?"

Nadia, whose face had changed from anger to shock and pity, looked to her mother disapprovingly. I thought back to when my dad had done what he thought was helping me, and I frowned. I could remember the pain, the hurt, the burning of the sun and of the vervain as I breathed it into my lungs. I plastered a fake smile on my face and met Katherine's humour filled eyes. "And I thought the worst thing about him was that he left my mum for another guy."

Katherine let out another laugh, and this time Nadia joined her. I laughed lightly, because although these were horrible things in my past, I had to laugh through the pain, the heartbreak, the loss. It took a while for us all to stop, Katherine and Nadia seemed to find it funnier as they continued to laugh. Once we had finished Katherine took another sip from her glass and relaxed back into her seat. Nadia relaxed back into her seat and smiled over at me, the tension from my earlier attack on her own father now gone.

"So, what do you still speak with your father, after the incident that occurred, that is?" Nadia's question was like a stab in my chest. Flashes of me standing next to Steven, my dad's boyfriend, at the funeral came to mind. I remembered how painful it had been to hear his decision to die rather than turn.

"Actually," I started, reaching for my glass of water to take a sip and to cover up how sad I felt, "my dad passed away late last year."

Both Katherine and Nadia looked shocked at my confession, regret forming on their almost identical faces. I emptied my glass of water, placing it back down on the ornate coaster that sat in front of me. I fiddled with my phone that was still placed in front of me, not wanting to look up at the sympathy that would be written on their faces.

"I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to—"

"It's alright. It's a touchy subject, but it was months ago."

"Well, that sucks." Katherine stood up from her chair with her now empty glass and walked towards the decanter of whiskey. She turned back to face me, leaning against the shelf where she had poured her drink. "At least you've still got your mum, she seems to care a lot about you."

I nodded just as Katherine's phone started to ring in the pockets of her jeans. She looked momentarily shocked, placing her nearly full glass behind her on the shelf and retrieving her mobile from her back pocket. She smiled at the name that was on the screen and answered the call.

"What did I do to deserve the privilege of a phone call from you Klaus?" Katherine voice was breathy, and her smile showed that she was expecting his phone call.

Almost as soon as Katherine started speaking to Klaus, my phone vibrated under my hand. I picked it up and flipped it to see a photo of my mum on the screen. I smiled and answered the call, standing up and leaving the room, wanting privacy.

"Hey Mum, what's up?"

"Hi Caroline," her voice sounded rough, strained, "I just wanted to know how you're going."

"I'm okay." I stopped at the stairs in the main entrance, knowing that both Katherine and Nadia would stay in the dining room until at least Katherine was over with her phone call. "Is everything okay in Mystic Falls? You sound tired."

I knew my mum would be working her usual double shifts, always on alert as long as vampires were around. And I knew that she would be working much more now that I wasn't there to tell her to take a break. I only hoped that nothing major was happening there while I was gone, so that she could at least not have to worry about the people in town getting their throats ripped out.

"I'm okay, things have been…quiet around here." Her voice was even more strained now, and I could tell that she was avoiding telling me something, something that would be bad. Because everything that came out of Mystic Falls lately was bad.

"Obviously something had happened. I can hear it in your voice."

"Caroline, sweetheart, Damon just told me. He just told me that…." She paused, pain ringing through the phone and hitting me hard, before I even knew what had happened. "…Damon found out by accident and then he told Elena, and then he came to see me. Honey… it's Bonnie."

She paused again and this time I could feel the tears well up. I already knew what she was going to say. She would only call me if something terrible had happened. And now, I feared, it had.

"No." I whispered, wiping at my eyes and covering my mouth with my hand before the sobs hit me. "Don't say it."

"The night before graduation she brought Jeremy back to life, but all magic comes with price. She worked herself so hard, that her heart just gave out. Jeremy told us all that she went on a holiday with her mum to get over all the supernatural stuff, but Damon caught him talking to Bonnie's ghost. We're going to have a funeral, not a public one. Just close friends and family. You're the first person I've called, because I wanted to be the one to tell you. Stefan is calling Bonnie's mum right now. We're thinking next week, if you can come."

I was sobbing now, my shoulders shaking and nose running as the pain took over me. I didn't want to say that I would come, because I didn't want to believe that it had happened. She couldn't be dead. I heard the dining room door open, and I looked up to see Nadia exiting the room. Her face changed to panic when she saw me sitting on the bottom step sobbing into my arm.

"Caroline?" My mum's voice was like a knife cutting through me. I clutched my chest with my hand, trying to take the pain away.

"Mum, you know I'll come." I took a deep wavering breath. "Can I please call you back? I need time."

I hung up before my mum could say anything, placing my phone down on the step next to my. I used the long sleeve of my shirt to wipe my face as Nadia came to sit next to me. I pictured the last time I had spoken to Bonnie, in my mind. We had spoken about Silas, but also about what we would do once everything was over. But she was already dead, so everything she had said was a lie.

"What happened Caroline?" Nadia's voice made it through my sobs and my thoughts, so I looked up to meet her eyes with my own.

"One of my best friends died the night before I was cured, the night before we graduated. It's complicated to explain, but we didn't realise she had died because she was still there, with the wall to the other side down."

Nadia looked sadder as I spoke, showing emotions towards what I was telling her. If I wasn't grief stricken I would shocked by that, but I couldn't comprehend it. Not when I couldn't even comprehend Bonnie be gone.

"Why did it take so long for them to let you know?"

"They only just found out. She had a way to make everyone thin she had gone on holiday, but she was caught out." I started to sob again, thinking about the future she deserved, the future she didn't have anymore.

Nadia placed an arm around my shoulder and pulled me towards her, hugging me tightly. She didn't say anything else, and neither did I. We just sat there quietly as I cried and she comforted me. I wasn't sure how long we sat there for, but as we continued to sit I could hear my phone vibrate against the steps. Probably my friends trying to call me about what had happened.

I didn't want to speak to them.

Katherine came out of the dining room, strutting across the room to sit on my other side, picking my phone up and resting it in her lap as she wrapped her arm, just like Nadia's, around my shoulder. I continued to weep, resting my head in both hands. Crying for the closest friend I had had since we were in kindergarten.

My phone started to vibrate again and Katherine groaned, I looked up just as she reached to answer it. Before I could stop her she had swiped the screen to answer and was placing the phone to her ear.

"Hello." Her voice was soft for once, taking caution to how she spoke to whoever it was on the other end. She listened to the person on the other end, I just hoped that it was Elena. "She'll be fine. We'll take care of her and make sure she makes it to the funeral. I don't think it's best for her to talk right now, she's really upset. But I'll make sure she calls you back when she's up for it...Okay, but Matt."

She didn't speak for a while, but she handed back the phone and I took it my hand, gripping it tight. I didn't want to know what Matt had wanted, I didn't want to know where or when the funeral would be. All I wanted was for Bonnie to not be dead. But I knew that I would need to suck it up and call someone back, to at least let them know that I would, of course, be there.

"Would you like for me to get you some water for you to drink?" The accented voice came timid from behind us, at the top of the stairs. Kida. I nodded my head and I listened as she made her way down the stairs, past us, and off in the direction of the kitchens.

Later that night, after I had showered and gone to my room, there was a knock on the bedroom door. I sat up from underneath the mass of blankets and pillows that I had covered myself with earlier, wanting to be buried away for however long I could get away with it. I pushed all of that aside and clawed my way from the bed, stumbling to the door just as there was another knock.

I pulled the door open quickly, thinking that it was probably Kida bringing me either food or drink, but I was surprised to see Klaus standing there. In the past week since coming to New Orleans Katherine and Nadia had refused to let Klaus know where Nadia's house was. Which was why when I opened the door to see Klaus, I almost slammed the door in his face.

He stopped the door from slamming, the hint of a smile playing on his lips. My next instinct was to feel embarrassed, because I knew I looked terrible. I had every right to look terrible, but I didn't necessarily want Klaus to see me like that. I had enough sense to know that.

"Hello, Sweetheart, how are you feeling?" His husky voice was like honey, making me feel so much more better than I had felt since my mums phone call.

"How do you think?" I stepped back and dragged my feet as I walked back to the bed and climbed back in, motioning for Klaus to take a seat. "I just found out that my best friend died…four weeks ago."

Klaus nodded, doing something unexpected by climbing on the bed and sitting, with his feet laying parallel to mine, leaning against the headboard. I turned to look at him and he met my eyes, reaching over to take one of my hands in his.

"I am so sorry for your loss. Bonnie was a brilliant witch," he paused, looking down at our linked hands and began using his free hand to rub circles on the back of my palm, "she deserved a lot better. And I don't say this as her enemy, I say this as your friend."

Another sob, one that I'd been holding back since this afternoon, rattled through me and I gasped for breathe. Klaus instantly pulled me towards him and wrapped his arms around me, pulling me into his warm chest. I pulled back, not fully, but just enough so that I could speak. "Thank you Klaus."

We stayed like that for hours, and gradually as the tears and sobs subsided I fell asleep in his arms. I didn't dream, I just floated through bleak blackness. I thought of all the good memories of Bonnie, and the bad, not really knowing how to move forward. When I did dream, Bonnie appeared in the blackness with wings like an angel, flying vividly before my eyes.

"Caroline, you have to wake up." A hoarse voice reached me in the darkness and I pushed through the black to slowly open sore, swollen eyes.

As my eyes adjusted to the light and once my eyes focused they instantly met with Klaus'. I shot up, sinking back down when a pounding rang through my head. Klaus cradled me to him that was when I realised we were both laying down, under my blankets, in my bed. It took me a few minutes to remember what had happened yesterday and last night, and when I did all I could think about was how close Klaus and I were in bed together.


	26. Chapter 23

A/N: Hello! I'm sorry I haven't posted in a really long time. I've had writers block plus a busy school schedule. Anyways, this chapter was intended to be chapter 24, but I'm still working on an extremely long chapter 23, so I've switched their place  
around. Which doesn't really affect the story too much. This chapter is in Katherine's point of view. I wanted to warn you that some of the dialogue is written in Bulgarian (I've added translations), but the because I don't speak Bulgarian I used  
google translate so for anyone who can read/ speak Bulgarian, there may be errors. Anyway, I only added it because I thought it sounded cool when reading it out loud.

The next chapter will be written in Caroline's point of view and I expect it will be rather lengthy, because it's got 3 major sections to it. Hopefully I'll have that written sometime this week, and I'll upload it then.

Enjoy! (And please review/comment)

(Oh and this chapter's named after Breathe by NF).

 **CHAPTER 23: BREATHE.**

The bar was full and even though it was only 11 in the morning, I had to push people out of my way just to get close enough to the bar to order my drink. When I finally got the bar tenders attention I smiled sympathetically at her. She brushed a stray  
blonde lock of straight hair out of her face as she sighed quietly.

"What can I get you?" I could hear the exhaustion in her voice, already overwhelmed by the amounts of people swarming the room.

"Bourbon on the rocks."

The blonde went straight to making my drink and I thanked her as I took the glass and made my way over to the other side of the room, where less people flocked. I smiled politely at people I recognised from my previous time here, most of which were people  
I had turned in the early 20's, all of them trusted enough by Marcel to be given a daylight ring.

I chose a small table in the very back corner, and from where I sat I could see the whole room and observe the hordes of people that surrounded me. I cradled my small glass as I watched the interactions between people. The ease in which people would talk  
with complete strangers, and the comradery between old friends. I could have easily joined in on any of the ongoing conversations, I knew enough people and I was confident enough talking to new people, I just chose to sit by myself and watch them.

I routinely glanced down at my phone, waiting for a message to come through, but my phone stayed black. I shifted in my uncomfortable seat, tapping my heeled foot against the hard floor.

"Zdraveĭte, Katerina, se oblekchavam da vi namerya sama. Byakh pritesnen, che shte donesesh edin ot tvoite ... telokhraniteli. (Hello Katerina, I'm relieved to find you alone. I was worried you would bring one of your...bodyguards.)" The rough voice spoke  
from behind me, and I turned to face the person I was here to meet. Andrei.

"Originalnoto semeĭstvo ne me kontrolira. Az mozhe da bŭda pri lichni usloviya s edin ot tyakh, no nie v nikakŭv sluchaĭ ne sme priyateli. Osven tova nyamam nuzhda ot telokhraniteli. Moga da se zashtitya. (The original family do not control me. I may  
be on personal terms with one of them, but we are by no means friends. Besides, I do not need bodyguards. I can protect myself.)"

Andrei sat down in front of me, picking up my half-full second drink and drinking the remaining liquid. I scowled and growled so that only the supernatural could hear. Some of the vampires I knew eyed us cautiously as Andrei placed the glass back in front  
of me and raised an eyebrow. I giggled and crossed one leg over the other, leaning back in my chair. I watched as people went back to their previous conversations, their eyes no longer trained on us.

"I'm sure you can Katerina. I must say, I didn't expect to see you at the originals home last week. From what I've heard, Klaus has had a bounty on your head since you betrayed him."

"You may call it betrayal, but I call it surviving." I let my words drip in my native accent. Not hiding behind the fake American accent I had adopted. "Besides, Klaus and I have moved past our differences. He got his curse removed, attempted in making  
hybrids, and now I don't have anything to be afraid of when it comes to him." Andrei's face flashed with anger and I made a note in my head to remember that. Especially when it was when I mentioned being on good terms with Klaus.

"I'm guessing that the new alliance between the two of you has something to do with the fact you're sleeping with his brother."

I quickly composed myself, putting my poker face on before I could give any emotion away to him. I looked towards the bar and saw that the blonde bartender was looking my way. I waved at her, motioning for another drink and she nodded, smiling cautiously.

"My relationship with Elijah is none of Klaus' business. Neither is it yours." I paused as the blonde woman placed my drink in front of me, handing a matching glass to Andrei. I thanked her politely and waited until she was out of earshot to continue.  
"I am, however, a little bit curious as to how you became friends with the original family. And why you've chosen to begin this conversation with them as the topic."

"I'm just looking out for you."

My glass froze half-way to my lips, and I looked over it to catch Andrei's eyes. The green seemed to glow in the light and it was as if a hundred memories hit me as once. Then the anger set in. Anger at having been abandoned, anger at being confronted  
with this when I didn't really need to have drama in my life, and anger in how he had reacted to both me and Nadia.

"I don't need looking out for Andrei. Like I said, I can take care of myself. Especially when it comes to the original men."

"It doesn't mean that I don't feel like I'm obliged to help you in any way that I can. We do have history Katerina."

"Ancient history, Andrei." I uncrossed my legs and drank my drink quickly. "I barely remember it. It was so long ago. I mean, it was just a small portion of my human life."

Andrei drank his drink too, slamming it back down on the table and moving so that he was leaning closer to me. "What do you know about the girl claiming to be our daughter?"

His question immediately threw me. Claiming to be our daughter? I knew for sure she was our daughter. The resemblance was uncanny. I knew instantly that this was why Andrei had wanted to meet here. He was fishing for information on Nadia. I smirked at  
him and grabbed my small purse, opening it and digging through the pockets until I found what I needed.

I handed the small photograph to him, watching his features change slightly as he took in what the picture was of. He turned it over to see if there was anything else on the back, then he turned it back so that he could study what it was that was printed  
on the front.

"Why are you showing me this?" He flicked his wrist, sending the photo soaring across the table and into my lap. "I don't need to see a photo of her. I _know_ she's not our daughter. _She can't be._ "

"Really?" I asked, tucking the image Nadia had given me back into my bag. "And why is that? Because, you see, we've been a bit curious about the reaction you had to meeting her. That wasn't at all like we expected. In fact, it almost seemed like you had  
maybe planned for her to be unable to turn. Or worse, for her to be dead."

"She was never meant to turn. She should never have been subjected to this life."

"I agree." I sighed a breath of exhaustion. "She didn't deserve to live long enough to meet the either of us. I knew that I was going to be a disappointment, but lucky for me you topped that list when you ran away from her." My voice was slightly raised  
and I could see some people turn and look over at us again. I noticed that Tomlin was sitting on the other side of the bar, staring over at us. I knew he was related to the man that Nadia had married, and by the way he was staring over at us I could  
tell that he was itching to step in.

He met my eyes and raised his brows, asking me if for permission. I subtly shook my head, and brushed a stray lock of hair behind my ear. I didn't need any confrontations today, meeting with Andrei was more than enough.

"I ran because she seems to have fooled you into believing she is your daughter, when she clearly is not." His accent was as rough and heady as I remembered, and I could hear the frustration and anger leeching through. His poker face wasn't as trained  
as I was, he was close to losing all the control he had.

"She _is_ our daughter. I may not have been in her life for the past 500 years, but I'm not stupid. I can tell that she is mine. I haven't a doubt in my mind." I pulled the photo back out from my bag and held it in front of his bewildered face. "We're  
about as identical as we could be without us being actual doppelgängers. And how do you explain her eyes. They are exactly like yours. I don't see why you feel the need to deny it."

"She isn't ours." His voice echoed above the rest of the noise in the bar, and in a matter of seconds a small group of vampires, spear-headed by Tomlin, appeared next to the table. Andrei glared up at them, willing them to go.

"Is there a problem here Katherine?" Tomlin eyed the photo in my hand carefully, then he looked Andrei up and down.

"There is no problem." It was Andrei who spoke, and I leant back in the chair, crossing my arms across my chest.

"Actually, there is." I replied, grabbing the photo and my bag, standing up from my chair. "I'm going to be late for my lunch date with Elijah. This was a mistake."

"Ne mozhesh prosto da si trŭgnesh. Nie ne zavŭrshikhme tozi razgovor. (You can't just leave. We haven't finished this conversation.)" Andrei reached out to grab my hand as I walked away, and I tore it from his grip.

"Nyamam kakvo da vi kazha. Ne se svŭrzvaĭte s men otnovo. (I have nothing else to say to you. Don't contact me again.)"

Tomlin blocked Andrei's way as I hurried from the bar and down the street towards my car. Once I was inside the car I took a deep shaky breathe. My poker face fell, and tears I didn't know I was holding back, fell from my eyes in long streams. I let out  
a sob and manically wiped them away as they continued to fall. It took me a while to compose myself, but when I did I cleaned up my makeup and smiled to myself in the rear-view mirror.

I was fine by the time I reached the restaurant where I was meeting Elijah. He was waiting for me at the table. He stood up as I approached and pulled out my seat as I sat down. I smiled over at him as he greeted me pleasantly. "Good afternoon Katerina.  
How has your day been so far?"

I reached across the table as he sat down, holding his hand tightly in mine. "It's better now that I'm here with you."

"I'm glad."

We both ordered the same dish, a gumbo, and the same white wine. When our food arrived we stayed silent for a while before either of us spoke. But that was just what it was always like between us, silent conversations. No words needed.

"What did you have to do this morning that made seeing me such a relief?" His question came out smoothly, but I could clearly hear the curiosity within the words.

"Nothing important, just something that I didn't really want to do. But, it couldn't be avoided."

"That's good I suppose. That you got it over and done with. However, I can't imagine you doing something you don't want to do, no matter how unavoidable it is." He took a mouthful of gumbo and I watched him chew and swallow it while I debated my next  
words.

"I just had to meet up with an old friend and discuss something. It wasn't as successful as I thought it would be, but I didn't expect to get the answers I wanted." I paused, taking another bite of my food. "It really wasn't that eventful, which was why  
I squeezed it in before our date."

"Okay, as long as you're fine." His distant voice caused me to look up from my bowl and I smiled softly at how worried he looked.

"I'm fine Elijah. I'm a big girl, I can handle anything thrown my way."

The waiter returned after our meal and gave Elijah the bill. He paid it quickly and escorted me from the restaurant, wrapping his arm around my waist. We decided to walk down the street for a while, talking and getting used to the others company again.

"So, I heard from my brother just before, he and Caroline arrived in Mystic Falls safely. I expect that she'll want to catch up with her friends and her mother today."

I nodded, not surprised. Caroline and her friends always had a way of staying joined at the hip, which I had found increasingly irritating when I had first arrived in Mystic Falls.

"That's good. They'll be able to talk about everything that's happened before the funeral tomorrow."


	27. Chapter 24

**A/N: WOW! It's a long time since I last updated. I've been busy with my final year of high school, and that caused me to stop writing quite abruptly. I have come back to this chapter several times, but it's been difficult to write because of all the other distractions in my life. However, I've just finished school and now I'll have a lot more time to write, and hopefully I'll be updated frequently again (I'm not making promises, but fingers crossed).**

 **Anyway, this chapter is named after a song called Home sung by Michael Buble. The live version is amazing I highly recommend you give it a listen. This chapter gets pretty intense, and it is going to be a bit all over the place and be pretty long, so I hope you enjoy. Please read and review!**

 **CHAPTER TWENTY FOUR: HOME.**

"So, Klaus," My mum started, leaning across the table for the salt, "it's nice of you to offer to bring Caroline home for the funeral. I'm curious, why did you decide to drive her home?"

I shot mum a disapproving look. It was awkward enough as it was, without her having to add to it. We had arrived late in the afternoon, after having driven the 14 hours from New Orleans to Mystic Falls with only the occasional toilet stop, and my mum had insisted that Klaus stay for dinner. He was going to just drop me off here tonight and then head to the Mikaelson mansion for the night. He was going to then pick me up after the service that was in a couple of days. But mum clearly wanted to discuss what had been going on in New Orleans and had borderline ordered him to stay for dinner.

For the first time in what felt like forever my mum had made the effort to cook a proper meal, having taken the few days that I was going to be in town off, so that she could spend some quality time with me. She had jokingly said that, when Klaus and I had settled on the couch in the lounge, she hoped Klaus didn't go on some rampage while we were in town because she didn't want to be called into work. Klaus seemed to find that funny, but I just rolled my eyes and offered Klaus a glass of water, which he reluctantly took.

Nothing had changed in the house, except that it was slightly dustier than it had been when I was last here. I hadn't expected it to change much due to mum's busy work schedule. But as Klaus and I had settled into the dining room seats I felt like I could completely relax and not think about what I would be faced with at Bonnie's funeral.

For the first half of our awkward dinner Mum had asked simple questions like 'what's the weather like in New Orleans?' and 'what's the house like where you're staying?', but as the evening went on and mum dished out some of her prize winning salted caramel mud cake (made from my granny's recipe) her questions were a little more intrusive.

Klaus looked up at my mum as the question about him driving me to Mystic Falls fell from her lips. I swallowed the small mouthful of cake I had in my mouth and tried to keep myself calm. Klaus only smiled and wiped his mouth with a napkin before replying to her.

"Well, Sheriff, Caroline is a friend and we have managed to get along well in the past. When she informed me that her friend had passed away I wanted to be there for her like she has been there for me. It was only natural that I offer to drive her here." He paused for a moment, taking a long sip of his water. "Besides, the alternative was Katherine, and after contemplating the kinds of the things she was sure to while she was here, I decided that me spending a little bit of time tidying up the mansion would be far better than Katherine running around tormenting everyone in town."

Mum paused, taking a large mouthful. I watched her chew it slowly and then swallow it, her short hair falling from behind her ear to cover her eyes. She put her spoon back down in the bowl and brushed the stray lock of hair back out of her eyes. "Are you two sleeping together?"

Both Klaus and I froze, and I instantly began to choke on my mouthful and cough. My mum sat at the head of the small wooden table, acting as if she hadn't just dropped the most embarrassing question a girl could be asked in front of the guy she liked. I couldn't bear to look across the table, but I knew there was a big chance that Klaus was smirking.

When I did look up it was to look at the clock hanging on the wall and see if it was late enough for me to kick Klaus out. It wasn't. We all sat in silence for a minute. I didn't want to answer her question, even though he and I hadn't slept together. But I knew my silence would be misleading. I also could see that Klaus wasn't going to answer her question and was waiting for me to do it.

It took me a moment but I eventually got rid of my cough and built up enough courage to answer her. "No, mum." I started, turning to look her in the eyes. "Klaus and I aren't sleeping together. We are just friends."

The last part made Klaus' eyes widen in amusement. He obviously knew that that was a lie. Sure we were friends, but it was a bit more than that. Mum nodded her head and started talking about some cold cases at work and if we had any opinions on who could have done it.

"What about this one, it was a bit before you arrived in town Klaus, but Caroline might know who did it. An African American male carnival worker who worked at the Mystic High Fair-"

I zoned mum out as she went on with the description of the man and how he was found. I froze and my blood went cold. I knew that man. In fact, it was me who killed him. Granted, I was only very newly turned, but I still did it. I could remember how he had tried to help me and I had attacked. I remembered Damon finding me and wanting to kill me, Stefan helping me wash of the blood, Bonnie staring at me like I was some kind of monster.

The look in his eyes as I had taken every last drop of is blood flashed before my eyes and I jumped up from the table. Both mum and Klaus looked at me in shock. Klaus looked amused by the stories of the 'cold cases' that she had, but as soon as he saw the expression on my face he looked at me with recognition.

I excused myself and rushed out of the room and headed straight for my bathroom. I needed to breathe and to get away from the horrible memories that were running through my head. I was human now, I wasn't the same person who had killed that man. But as I thought more about it, I was the same person. The cure didn't change the fact that I had killed someone. Several someone's in my time as a vampire.

My stomach heaved and I lifted the lid of the toilet to empty my stomach into the bowl. I continued to heave until there was nothing left to come up. I just sat crouched over the toilet heaving and gagging. There was a soft knock as the door which I ignored as I lowered myself onto the floor and rested my flushed cheek against the cold tile. The knock came again and I debated what to say, worried that if I spoke I would heave and gag again.

"Caroline, it's Klaus. Can you let me in, love?" Klaus' voice cut through the dull ache that throbbed through my body, the memory of the man running through my mind.

I took a deep breath and composed myself enough so that I could pull myself into a sitting position. "It's open." I whispered almost silently, knowing that Klaus would be able to hear me.

I let my heavy head rest against the wall next to the toilet, and watched Klaus slowly open the door. He carefully stepped into the room, scrunching up his nose at the lingering smell of my vomit. His face changed when he saw me curled up on the ground, he shut the door behind him and sunk to the floor across from me, against the opposite wall.

"You were the one who killed him?" He asked, meeting my eyes.

"I didn't even know what I was. I mean I had only turned the night before." I paused and remembered how confused I was before Stefan had explained what had happened to me. "I didn't know what I was or why I was so hungry. It's not like Katherine stuck around to explain after she smothered me."

I ignored Klaus' obvious look of anger towards my revelation of Katherine having killed me, causing me to turn. He kept silent for a moment, trying to formulate the right words for the situation he was presented with. "That must have been hard for you."

"I suppose. It seems like so long ago now, but when mum started to describe him it all came back to me. I was so naïve, and I was such a bitch to everyone in those first weeks."

Klaus laughed. "That's normal when you're getting used to turning, you have no control of your emotions in those first few weeks. Was there anyone else?"

"Anyone else?" I asked, confused by what he meant. More vampires? Because there obviously were.

"Any other people you killed."

I flinched, taken back by the question. The only other people I had killed who were innocent were mums deputies and the coven who had planned to kill Bonnie. And that was because to protect those I care about. "A couple, but they weren't completely innocent. And they happened a while after I had turned, I had adjusted by then."

He nodded his head and then we sat in silence for a while. We were interrupted by a hesitant knock at the door. Klaus and I broke eye contact and both looked up at the door.

"Is everything okay in there?"

I tried to pull myself up onto my feet as mums words reached me. I felt better, not any less guilty, but I didn't feel nauseous any more. Klaus stood up effortlessly, holding out a hand to help me stand, pulling me up. He reached for the door and pulled it open to reveal my mum standing there, hand raised to knock again. She stepped back, startled by the abruptness of our exit. Her eyes barely landed on Klaus before they shot to me and began to check that I was okay. I wiped my clammy face, and flicked my loose hair over my shoulder.

"Everything's okay. My body just still hasn't adjusted to eating normal food yet. I probably ate a bit more than I should have." We all headed back down to the dining table and took our seats again. I took a large sip of water from my glass as Klaus turned to my mum to talk about the original founders of the town.

Mum didn't ask me any more questions about being sick, but I could tell she didn't necessarily believe my excuse. After mum and Klaus had finished their discussion on the real founders of the town, it was time for Klaus to leave. My mum said goodbye to him before heading into the kitchen with the dishes, whilst I walked with him towards the front door.

I closed the door behind me as we stepped out onto the porch. "Thank you for being so nice during dinner. And thank you for distracting mum after the whole incident."

He smiled at me and reached forward to take my hand in his. "I told you that I would be here to support you, even if it doesn't relate to Bonnie."

I squeezed his hand tightly, pulling him closer towards me and wrapping him in a hug. He was reluctant to begin with but quickly moulded his body to mine, gripping me just as tight as I was gripping him. We stood like that for a few moments before taking a step backwards, our hands linking once again.

"I guess I'll see you after the wake. Will you pick me up from the Boarding House or from here?"

The smile was still on his face as he looked me u and down, contemplating my question. "I'll pick you up from the Boarding House. That way we can begin our 14 hour drive back to New Orleans as soon as possible. We'll still need to stop overnight this time, but we don't want to be out of the protection of New Orleans for too long."

I nodded slowly, agreeing with his conclusion. Except I was thinking about how my friends would react to what had happened, not the other threats Klaus was thinking of.

He said goodbye, pressing a soft kiss to my cheek before he turned and climbed into the car, driving away. I headed back inside and smiled to myself at the familiar human feeling of the racing of my heart.

I helped my mum with the dishes in the kitchen, drying and putting them away, while we both remained silent. I didn't start conversation out of fear that she'd bring up a subject I wasn't really ready to discuss. But, she seemed just as content with the silence as I did. We made quick work of the dishes, draining the sink once we were done, and heading out towards the lounge room.

"So, how did you and Klaus end up together?" My mum sat down on the couch with a fresh cup of coffee in her hands. I rolled my eyes.

I sat down across from her and relaxed into the chair. "Mum, Klaus and I are in no way together. We're friends."

"Yes. I don't doubt that." She replied, looking at the wall blankly. "But both of you wish it was more than that. I may not know as much as everyone else in this town, but I sure do know when two people are attracted to one another. And you and Klaus definitely have that kind of…spark."

I groaned and crossed one of my legs over the other, not taking my eyes off of her. I didn't answer straight away, thinking over what I should tell her about what had happened. "Klaus has been very kind towards me mum. He never had to the kind things he's done, but he has. And that's something I'm not going to take for granted. I know he's done terrible things, and nothing can change that, but I also know that he has the capacity to do amazing things. He just needs a little push in the right direction."

She didn't speak back to me, just looked at me with pride. Once her cup of coffee was finished she wished me a goodnight before heading to her room. I sighed and stood up from the chair, walking to the fireplace and smiling at the photos that stood there. The photo of Bonnie, Elena, and I stood out the most, and I let a tear fall down my cheek as I thought about what tomorrow would bring.

…

I stared out the window as we round the familiar corners towards the towns' cemetery. Instead of being the large town church, Bonnie's funeral would be held in the rooms at the entrance of the cemetery. My mum kept still beside me, seeming to be oblivious to the situation that we were driving into. Now that we were so close to the cemetery I was starting to regret my decision to come back to town for the funeral. I doubted anyone would accept what had happened to me, and who I had chosen to find solace with.

As we rounded the last corner I could the cars out front and the people waiting patiently by the gates to be escorted in. I tensed up and clutched the handhold on the car door. I took a deep breathe to calm down, but it didn't work and I could feel the panic rising in my chest. I looked over everyone I could see, Elena and Damon were standing together with Matt, Stefan and Jeremy talking animatedly amongst themselves. Mum pulled into a car space, sighing as she cut off the engine.

I could feel everyone's eyes on me as I unbuckled my seatbelt, grabbed my small handbag, and opened the cars doors. I plastered a tight smile on my face and turned back to the car once I had situated myself safely on the ground. My mum smiled back at me as she opened her door and got out as well.

"Just remember that you're doing this for Bonnie."

"Thanks for the reminder, Mum." I closed the door and fixed the bottom of my black dress. I took another deep breathe as I turned and walked over to the group who was staring dumbfounded at me. I saw my mum head into the cemetery, not stopping to say hello to anyone.

Before anyone could speak, Matt rushed forward and wrapped me in a tight bear-hug, picking me up off of the ground and swinging me around in a circle. He placed me back down and took a step back. "It's good to see you Care. You look healthy…all things considered."

I nodded, looking briefly down at my comfortable black lace dress. "Thanks, I suppose. I feel a lot better now than I did last week. I guess it was just my body re-adjusting."

He agreed with me and hugged me again, this time less enthusiastically and I knew this one was out of grief. "I'm sorry that you had to come home in such horrible circumstances. I'm sure Bonnie would appreciate it."

"Caroline, you made it." Elena pushed away from Damon and walked forward. As she got close enough as if to give me a hug, she froze and took a couple of steps back, shock covering her face. She had caught the scent of my now human blood. "That's not possible."

I smiled sweetly at her, knowing that what I would say next would probably be a knife to her chest. "Katherine told me to send her regards. And she told me to tell you that you should really work on your aim."

I paused to watch everyone's reaction as they began to register that I was now human. I could tell that Elena hadn't told them about trying to shove the cure down Katherine's throat. It was written all over her almost angered face. Matt took my arm and escorted me past them into where the service would be. I was glad that I didn't have my inhuman hearing, because I knew they would be talking about me.

Matt and I sat up the front of the service, next to Bonnie's mum who sat alone. On Abby's other side sat Elena and the whole gang, every now and again shooting me cautious glances. For the majority of the funeral I kept my eyes at the front, staring at Bonnie's coffin.

Jeremy was the one who went to the front to give the eulogy, which I thought might have been under Bonnie's orders. I could tell by the way he kept moving his eyes to stare at an empty spot in the room.

"Today we are here in honour of Bonnie. In remembrance of her." He paused, looking down at his hands, and then back up at all of the people sitting in the small room. "I'm not too sure what else to say. But, I know that Bonnie isn't going anywhere. That, just because we can't see her, it doesn't mean that she hasn't been here watching over us the whole time. That she hasn't seen each of us have the summer of our lives, celebrating our future and watching us be happy." I looked around the room, noting that the funeral service was small. And that the meaning behind Jeremy's words was probably lost to them. "And that even though we may think that we can't have a normal life with everything that has happened, but we can. It may seem that everything is being derailed and we can't find out way, but that's wrong. Everyone will find their way. Loss is a part of everyone's life, and she'd want each and every one of us to be happy. She wouldn't want us to mourn the life she could have had, but celebrate the life she did have."

I felt the tears falling down my cheeks and I wiped them with the back of my hand as Jeremy finished. He thanked everyone and walked back down, sitting down beside Elena. The clerk who was running the service returned to the front to recite a couple of passages from the bible. None of which I thought applied to how much Bonnie meant. I held my face in my hands as they played a photo slide show of Bonnie's life in the background. Letting the sobs take over.

Once the service was over Jeremy, Damon, Stefan, and Matt carried her coffin out to her grave when they placed her down to be lowered into the ground. Matt came to stand beside me, wrapping his arms around my shoulder. I wept fully, thinking about all that Bonnie was going to miss, but remembering the times that we had shared together.

I met up with mum afterwards, letting the others know that I would meet them at the wake. I sent a quick text to Klaus, letting him know that I was headed to the wake now, and to pick me up in an hour or so. We travelled in silence, music playing faintly on the radio. When we pulled up to the Salvatore Boarding House I was relieved to see that nothing had changed. At least there was some semblance of normalcy.

There were only a few cars parked out the front, which I was surprised by. The wake was to be an 'in-the-know', private meeting. I smiled as Matt pulled up behind us. My mum walked into the old house, while I waited for Matt.

"It was a nice service." I told him as he wrapped his arms around my shoulders again, leading me over the grassy driveway towards the house. "Bonnie would have appreciated it."

"Yeah, she would have."

Inside the house I could see that the drinks had already started flowing, everyone getting a glass from the bar where Damon stood. I stayed away from the bar, not interested in drinking, and sat down on an empty seat as Matt got himself a drink of whiskey. I looked around the large parlour room, scanning everyone who was in attendance. Elena sat at the bar with Stefan, both drinking solemnly from the glasses. Whereas Abby and my mum sat on the couch discussing some what had happened since Abby had left all those years ago. Jeremy and Matt stood off to the side, and I was surprised by the small amount of people we had here to celebrate the life of Bonnie.

I sighed and fiddled with the diamond bracelet that I had opted to wear today. The one that Klaus had given to me. I could feel the swell of emotions rushing through my body, and I fought hard to keep them at bay. I wanted to be strong. I could cry later, when I was alone in a hotel room and away from everyone here.

"So, you're human now." I looked up, knowing that that question was obviously meant for me.

Elena stood in front of me, holding out a glass towards me. I shook my head and she placed it on the coffee table, still standing in front of me, staring down her nose. I looked up at her, raising my eyebrow and leaning back in my seat. She was wearing a similar dress to mine, not having changed much since the last time I had seen her. Except the more natural hair, instead of straightened.

'It's nice to see you too Elena." I answered, keeping my voice steady and relaxed. "And yes, I am human."

She looked at me for a moment, and I could feel the whole room's eyes on us as she did so. "And you just what? Ran away from Mystic Falls with Katherine?"

I laughed softly, thinking back to when I woke up in the back of Katherine's car, half way to New Orleans. "No, I didn't run away with Katherine. The cure did some…unexpected things to me. I went off with Katherine in order to find out what those things entailed."

I could tell that my explanation on confused and anger Elena more. "So, you left with Katherine, of all people, for help? Why not come to us for help? You know, your friends."

I took a deep breath, even more conscious of the people looking in on our conversation. I mulled over what I could say to avoid an argument of any further disagreements, but I couldn't really find anything so I decided to just tell the truth how I saw it. "Well, Elena, I'm sorry that my decision upset you so much. But last time I checked, you were the one who wasted the only cure of vampirism on Katherine. So yes, I left with Katherine. But only because I knew she knew people who could help me without making everything about herself."

I knew my words were half-truths, and that that I had probably rubbed everyone the wrong way, but it's not like I had anything to lose. I could see Matt edging closer towards me as Damon made his way from the bar to support Elena. I remained seated, not fazed by any of their reactions. Elena's whole face contorted into one of rage, and Damon didn't look pleased that I had offended Elena. Matt came to stand beside where I sat, staring Elena and Damon down.

I sighed again, crossing my legs and meeting Elena's eyes, unflinching.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Elena took a step closer to me, her eyes flashing red. But I remained calm, having seen enough angry outbursts in my time in New Orleans.

"Well," I splayed my hands out in my lap, not moving my gaze from hers, showing her that she didn't scare me. "I'm saying that although Katherine may be a narcissist, she knows when to stop making everything about herself. Unlike you. To be honest Elena, I'm rather shocked that you've managed to get this far through the day without making Bonnie's death a tool to get more attention."

By now I wasn't holding anything back. No holds barred. It's not like she could hurt me. Not with this many people around, and not with me being human. I knew that making mention of Bonnie's death was a low blow, but I also knew that what I was saying was true. I lowered my eyes from Elena's and pushed myself up into a standing position in front of her. She was shaking with rage, her face in full vampire mode. But I ignored it.

I brushed off my dress and stepped around Elena, walking towards where my mum sat next to Abby, asking her if I could have her car keys so that I could get my things from her car. She didn't hesitate to give them to me and I quickly made my way towards the exit, saying my goodbyes.

"What makes you think you can speak that way to me?" Elena yelled from behind me, and I stopped where I stood and turned to face the room. "Maybe because it's a free country. I can say whatever I want, and there's nothing you or anyone else here can do to stop me. You may have Damon and Stefan wrapped around your fingers Elena, but I think you're forgetting how we got to this point. How it was you that was the motivation behind every one looking for the stupid cure in the first place. You may live in this perfect little world where you're the centre of every one's life, but really you've just made everyone else's life worse. And what do you do? You don't apologise, you don't ask how you can help us, and you make accusations and then you judge. Then you whine about how hard your life is. Well, you're not the only one who's life is difficult, Elena. You're not the only person in this town that has been to hell and back to survive."

When I stopped ranting I took a deep breathe, trying to stop my heart from racing so much. I didn't wait for Elena to reply. I just stormed out of the house, slamming the door behind me. I unlocked mums car and got my things out, messaging Klaus to come and pick me up now, and leaving mums keys on her car seat before walking towards the end of the driveway.

I stood like that for a couple of minutes before I got a reply from Klaus saying he would be leaving now. I fiddled with the bracelet again, wringing my hands and staring off at the trees that sat at the edge of the property. I could hear someone coming behind me, but I didn't move from where I stood. I didn't really care who it was. I just wanted to get out of here.

"Caroline." It was Stefan. I still didn't turn around. "Are you okay?"

I didn't reply to him. Was I okay? I knew that I was anything but okay, but that should have been obvious by the fact that my best friend was dead.

"Look, I'm sure everything will be okay. Elena was just shocked by the fact that you're human. She'll get over it, and forgive you for what you said. She'd understand that it was just in the heat of the moment."

I scoffed and crossed my arms across my chest, making a point to sound frustrated by what he said. "I meant every word of what I said Stefan. I'm sick of having my life revolve around Elena. I died because of her, I suffered as a vampire because of her, and just when I was getting used to be a vampire I was cured by her. I didn't ask for any of this, and neither did Bonnie. None of us did. But we still stood by her side through everything, no questions asked."

Stefan came to stand in front of me, meeting my eyes with his. Full of pity for me. "Caroline, you don't mean that, and you know it."

I shook my head and glared at him. "What, because I'm speaking badly about Elena, I can't possibly mean what I'm saying?"

"That's not what I meant and you—" Stefan was cut off by the car that came racing down the drive way. Recognition spread across his face as Klaus turned around and came to stop in front of where Stefan and I stood.

Klaus got out of the car, greeting Stefan politely before he loaded my bags into his car. Stefan eyed me carefully as Klaus opened the passenger door to let me in. I climbed in, wheeling the window down so that I could speak to Stefan as Klaus walked around to the driver's side.

"Stefan, I've done so much for everyone else. I'm ready to finally do something for myself. I'll give you a call."

I didn't wait for a reply as I winded up my window, and Klaus sped off leaving Stefan in the distance.

 **A/N: The eulogy that Jeremy gives is inspired from the actual speech he gives at Bonnie's funeral in the show, which is why some of the things said are similar. I don't own that speech, nor do I own the show.**


	28. Chapter 25

**A/N: Two chapters in two days! I'm on a roll I suppose. This chapter is only short, but holds quite a lot of significance. I hope you all enjoy it, please read and review.**

 **Also, this chapter is named after the song Human by Rag'n'Bone Man.**

 **ENJOY!**

 **CHAPTER TWENTY FIVE: HUMAN.**

 **Damon P.O.V.**

"I can't believe her nerve." Elena screamed, pacing back and forth across the parlour. It was dark now and everyone who had been here earlier had left, leaving Stefan, Jeremy, Elena and I here alone. Jeremy had retired to the room we had set up for him, and Stefan was reading over in the corner while Elena continued to yell about her altercation with Caroline. "How dare she come back into town and have a go at me, like I'm the one who did something wrong. She's the one who ran off somewhere with Katherine. I mean, seriously!"

I tuned Elena out and focused in on my brother, knowing that he wasn't really reading the book, but was listening to what Elena was saying. I saw him grimace as Elena mentioned Katherine. He turned the page of his book, not staring at the words.

I sipped from my drink, still staring at Stefan and ignoring Elena. "What did you and Caroline talk about when you went outside?"

Stefan looked up and Elena stopped walking in front of me, turning to look across the room at Stefan. He placed his book of the table in front of him, looking at me carefully. He sighed and stood up, walking over to poor himself a drink. "It's not what she said. Besides that fact that she stands by what she said to you, Elena. But, it was who picked her up. It wasn't Katherine."

Elena sat down on the couch next to me, leaning head onto my shoulder while staring wide eyed at Stefan. "What do you mean? Who picked her up?"

Stefan stayed silent, downing his glass before pouring himself another one, then repeated the process. "It can't be that bad." I laughed, because surely who could be worse than Katherine.

"It was Klaus. Caroline and I were talking about how she was sick of doing everything based on what Elena wanted, and based on the threats we've faced. Then Klaus pulled up, and Caroline told me she was going to do something for herself for once."

Elena jumped up from the couch, throwing her hands up in the air. "Seriously? Caroline has run off with Katherine, right into the arms of the original family. How could she betray us like this?"

I still sat on the couch, keeping my cool and not lashing out at Stefan's news. I didn't need to look at Elena to know the anger that filled her face, but Stefan looked almost fed up. I didn't blame him. My ideal night didn't include having to listen to Elena ramble on about Caroline for hours.

Stefan gave up on pouring himself his drinks, and just took the bottle back to the place where he had been sitting. "I don't think that's what she's doing Elena. Caroline isn't the type of person to betray anything. I think she's just having trouble coping with being cured. And can you blame her? I mean she didn't exactly ask for this."

Elena seemed to calm down a bit, which made me think. Elena hadn't told any of us that she had used the cure, let alone used it on Katherine.

"Speaking of the cure, Elena." I whispered, swirling the whiskey in my glass. "Why didn't you mention that you thought you had cured Katherine? Seems like something rather important."

She froze, turned to look at me with her face blank, and crossed her arms over her chest defensively. "I didn't want to worry anyone. It wasn't that big of a deal. Katherine and I fought, I shoved the cure down her throat to stop her from ripping my heart out."

"Well, you didn't shove the cure down her throat, you shoved it down Caroline's throat. And Damon's right, it is important."

 **Andrei P.O.V.**

"Why won't he answer THE GODDAMN PHONE?" I let my phone fly from my hand and smash into pieces against the wall. I screamed again, throwing a vase into the same wall, releasing some of my anger.

I tried to think of all of the reasons that he wouldn't be answering my phone call after the seven calls I had put in. Even though we were on opposite sides of the world it was still day time where he was, and he had vowed to answer any of my phone calls at any time. I stormed out of the lounge and into the small kitchen, pulling my hired cook to me and sinking my teeth into her neck.

I drank greedily, feeling her getting weaker as I continued to drink. I pulled away, making sure not to drink too much as to kill her, letting her sit down and rest. I fed her some of my blood, then I stormed back out of the kitchen just as quick as I had entered.

I made my way upstairs into my bedroom, rummaging through my clothes to find something decent to wear to Marcel's club. I was still raging after my meeting with Katerina this afternoon, not happy with how strong Katerina was now. She had definitely changed over the last 500 years.

I smiled at the memory of her that danced behind my eyes. Young, beautiful, Katerina Petrova. Daughter of the wealthiest man in our village. Innocent, and the girl of my dreams. My first true love. But that didn't change the fact that I had to die, that I had to leave her and our unborn child. I couldn't save Katerina from her fate, but I damned well tried to prevent our child from following in both of our footsteps.

Now our daughter was here, alive and breathing. Nadia.

I scowled and turned on my laptop, opening my email and getting changed while the internet loaded. I needed to contact Kiril and find out what exactly had happened 500 years ago. I needed to know how exactly he had failed to save Nadia from turning. He had promised me.

I felt my anger rise again. Nadia being here was going to throw off everything that I had planned for the original family. Everything I had spent centuries planning. All because I got the Petrova doppelgänger pregnant, and couldn't prevent one lousy human from turning.

My computer pinged, notifying me of the emails entering my inbox. I pulled my shirt into place, noting how the soft material clung to my hard muscles, then I turned and fell into my desk chair. I clicked on the first email, reading over it and deciding that it wasn't that important. I made quick work of reading over the emails before sending a quick one off to Kiril and hiss 'protégé', Aneta. In an effort to get some answers. I also ordered myself a new phone, knowing that the one I had smashed was beyond repair.

When I finally finished getting dressed, making sure I looked perfect for tonight, I ended up getting a reply from Aneta. I opened the email, smiling as I read what she had to say. Kiril couldn't answer because he was on a plane here. Perfect. I sent her another reply, thanking her, before heading downstairs to get everything I would need for tonight.

Soon Kiril would be here, and my plan would finally be able to go forward.

 _They would pay_ , I thought as I turned on my car and sped out of my driveway towards the bright lights of the city.


	29. Chapter 26

**A/N: Another chapter! I really am on a roll. Which a good thing, considering how long I spent away from this story. This chapter is Caroline's point of view, and it shows the trip back to New Orleans and her and Klaus' return. The chapter is named after a song by the Arctic Monkeys.**

 **I hope you all enjoy, and please Read and Review.**

 **CHAPTER TWENTY SIX: DO I WANNA KNOW?**

The drive back to New Orleans was more peaceful than I thought it would be. That being said, I was still glad I wasn't the one behind the wheel. My mind was reeling constantly, jumping between thoughts of the funeral and my argument with Elena. I didn't really want to face the fact that everyone at home now knew I was human, or that I had reacted the way that I had to Elena.

Klaus, who had kindly offered to drive me to and from Mystic Falls under the pretence that he had wanted to collect some things from his mansion there, was the perfect gentleman during the drive. He sat next to me in the driver's seat, content to keep quiet while I thought things over in my head.

I was still mourning Bonnie in my head, but I had placed a cool and collected mask on my face the minute I had got into Klaus' car at the Boarding House. I didn't just do this so that I didn't have to face everything that had happened today, but because Klaus was getting increasingly more protective of me, and seeing me upset would only add fuel to the fire. I knew that this composure would be short lived, but I needed it for this car trip.

We had been driving for 5 hours already, slowly making our way closer to the city I didn't think I would be so happy to return to. Klaus played music quietly on the radio. I didn't recognise the artist, but it was a nice change from what Katherine had been playing.

I drowned everything out for most of the drive, staring out the window at the passing scenery and trying to think of ways to get myself out of the mess I had caused in Mystic Falls. I had thought up a number of excuses, some of which included a description of my now human hormones, but I knew none of them would work so I gave up.

By the 3rd hour I had already resorted to using my phone to continue research for the baby shower Hayley had asked me to plan. I had already planned the majority of things, such as the guest list and food, but we still hadn't decided on quite a lot of specifics. Such as a colour scheme, or fun games to play. The planning had been the one thing for us girls (Hayley, Rebekah, Nadia, Katherine, and I) to be able bond over. The fights we had only being able things such as cakes, or clothing. This made everything a lot more comfortable between us all, and I was glad that Hayley and I were able to move past all of our old conflict over Tyler.

"Are you really going to spend the remainder of this trip planning Hayley's baby shower?" Klaus' voice shocked me out my mindless searching on my phone, and I looked up to find his eyes were trained on me rather than the empty road. "I'm sure there are better things you could be doing right now."

"Yeah, like what?" I asked, my voice chaotically calm. "Figure out how to stop my friends from thinking I've betrayed them?"

He visibly flinched, his face scrunching up and his eyes moving from me back to the road. I got out of the website I had been scrolling through and locked my phone, my mood plummeting once again. I shouldn't have said what I did, knowing that he didn't even know what had happened at the wake of Bonnie's funeral.

I pictured in my mind how the funeral looked, how there wasn't as many people as I had expected there to be, everyone staring at the coffin that held the body of my best friend. I remember speaking to mum on the drive to Mystic Falls about Abby's plans for the funeral, nothing big or gaudy. But simple and spiritual, following a tradition that had been with the Bennett family for generations. A coffin made of redwood, with flower arrangements of vervain, wildflowers, and herbs that were meaningful to the magic Bonnie had been born into. This tradition, although it held so much meaning to their family, died when Bonnie did, leaving only the indirect bloodline to follow it the best way that they could.

A tear fell down my cheek and I brushed it away hastily, not wanting to break down just yet. I took a deep breath and closed my eyes to pull my calm mask back into place, feeling Klaus' hand rest gently on my leg. When I reopened my eyes Klaus' hand was still resting on mine, but his eyes were focused solely on the road.

He didn't speak to me again until we had reached the small B&B we would be staying at, not asking me what my words had meant. I had assumed that we would be staying in the same motel that we stayed at on the way to Mystic Falls, but was pleasantly surprised by the large place that stood before us.

When I had asked Klaus why we were staying at the 'Elmwood Cottage' instead of the motel he had only replied with a cheeky smile before retrieving both of our bags and walking towards the reception. Leaving me to stare at turn of the 19th century building.

The old lady that stood behind the counter lit up as soon as she spotted Klaus, and she wrapped him a loving hug as she skirted her way around the desk. I watched on, taking her in as she spoke to Klaus in a language I recognised a primitive form of French. She was quite tall, reaching the same height as Klaus, her old face still exuberant as it would have been when she was younger. Her hair was shoulder length, speckled like salt and pepper and pulled back with a scrunchy. She wore a pair of black reading glasses that hung on a chain around her neck, the outfit she was wearing stereotypical for any grandmother you would see on TV or in a movie. I instantly liked her, even though I had no idea who she was or how she knew Klaus.

A moment later they broke apart and she turned to me to wrap me in a hug similar to that she had been giving Klaus. I hugged her back gently, looking questioningly over her shoulder at Klaus. He wore one of the biggest smiles I had ever seen him wear as he watched the exchange between me and the woman. She pulled back only to grab me by the shoulders, keeping me an arm's length away from her so that she could look me over.

When her eyes met mine I felt a smile spread across my mouth in return to the one she gave me. She turned her head slightly to look at Klaus and whispered something to him, again in the language I didn't understand. He laughed lightly and said something back, his voice lively and playful.

"Caroline, this is my dear old friend Siobhan. She's lived her on this land for nearly 150 years, and is one of my oldest friends in this part of the world." He paused for a moment before continuing. "Siobhan, this is the lovely Caroline Forbes."

"It's nice to meet another friend of Klaus'. You know," She started, letting me go and crossing arms across her chest, staring over at Klaus comically. "Klaus making a friend doesn't happen very often."

Klaus chuckled and picked up the cases he had dropped when Siobhan had come around the desk. I laughed quietly along with them both, paying close attention to how Klaus acted around her. He was almost like a completely different person. He held himself in a different way, his shoulders more relaxed than threatening, and his face showed utter relief. I like this Klaus. He was better than the Klaus I had first met, or the Klaus he was around his family. He was unguarded, and acted more human.

I caught his eyes as he followed Siobhan towards the desk where she rummaged through a small book. He smiled over at me again, the relaxed boyish smile that I wished was always present on his lips. We waited for Siobhan whilst she turned pages rapidly in the book, standing next to each other quietly. It didn't take her long to find the page she was looking for, and she turned to pull two keys off of the board of hooks that hung on the wall behind her.

"The rooms you called me for are located next to each other on the top floor in the south wing." She handed the two keys to me, while looking directly at Klaus. "They share a bathroom, but I think that shouldn't be too big of a problem because you'll only be here for the one night. And they have the best view of the river out the back, as requested. I'm sure you'll both be very comfortable, but if you have any problems you'll be sure to call down and let me know."

She led us through the old building that was anything but a 'cottage'. It had to be the bigger than the mansion Klaus had built in Mystic Falls, and it took us 5 minutes just to reach the south wing where out rooms were. I thanked Siobhan as she pointed to our rooms and told us to come down for dinner in two hours.

It would have been an understatement to say that our rooms were beautiful. I smiled as soon as I saw just how well suited they were to the building they were placed in. Klaus walked in to place my bag at the base of the bed in my room, turning and smiling towards were I still stood in the doorway.

The walls were an off-white, with dark stained wooden detailing, just the same as I had seen in the rest of the building. I stepped into the room, taking in everything it had to give. The bed had a wooden frame and was a king size, there was a soft couch in the corner, and there was a window that looked out to a small river.

"Do you like it?"

"I love it. This place is amazing." I took a step towards Klaus, reaching out to grab his hand in mine. "Thank you for bringing me here. I wish we could be here for more than one night though. I mean, don't get me wrong, Nadia's house is beautiful. But it doesn't have the same sort of homely feeling as this place does."

He agreed before leaving me alone in my room, telling me to relax and maybe have a bath and get changed before dinner. Once he was gone I made quick work of getting myself something comfortable and presentable from my bag, then I filled the large bath up and climbed in for a soak.

I laid in the hot water, looking around the large bathroom, my eyes falling on the door that joined my room to Klaus. I knew he wouldn't risk walking in on me in the bath, but I was still nervous at the prospect that he _could_ just walk in.

The bathroom was a simple off-white, the same as in the room, with tiles on the floor to match. On the one side was the large spa bath, where I laid, and on the other side was the shower and a sink. I smiled to myself as I felt the warm water relax my tense shoulders and back. I sighed, forgetting what had happened earlier in the day, and only thinking about what tomorrow would bring.

I woke up to the sound of knocking on the bathroom door, making me jump and slip under the water. I sat up gasping for breath as my brain registered that I had fallen asleep.

"Caroline, dinner is in ten minutes. Are you okay in there?" Klaus' worried voice sounded from behind the door where the knock had come from. I breathed a sigh of relief, gripping the edges of the bath and stabilising myself enough to be able to lift myself out of the bath.

"Yeah." I called, grabbing a towel from the wrack, wrapping it around my body before grabbing a second towel to wrap around my hair. "I'm just getting out now. I should be dressed in a couple of minutes. I'll meet you in the hall."

He mumbled in agreement before I heard him walk away from the door. I made quick work of getting dried and dressed, stepping into the hall just as Klaus stepped out of his. I would have thought it was a happy coincidence if I didn't know that Klaus probably heard my every movement in my room and could tell I was coming out.

Dinner had been delicious. We sat in Siobhan's own quarters where she cooked and served us with our food. The food she had cooked was amazing, and I was so glad I was human because it made me enjoy it all the more.

Klaus and Siobhan shared stories of how they had met, and their continuing friendship over the past 150 years. I was interested to know that she was a witch who had used a spell to stay alive for this long, keeping the cottage up and running and assisting Klaus in any magic related issues when she could. I enjoyed the dinner a lot because it kept my mind firmly in the present instead of wandering to other issues such as Bonnie or Elena.

After dinner was finished we stayed behind to continue to talk, Klaus informing Siobhan on all of the things that had happened since they had last spoken, such as his curse being broke and waking up Silas. After a while I began to get tired so I retired to my room, leaving Klaus and Siobhan to their conversation. I climbed into the soft bed, relaxing into the cloud-like pillows, sighing in delight and closing my heavy eyes.

…

Regretfully, Klaus and I had to leave fairly early the next morning. We still had ten hours until we would reach New Orleans, and it was going to be a very long drive. Klaus had received a call from Elijah late last night, telling him that something had happened, but leaving out specifics. Which only made Klaus' want to leave even earlier.

We both said our goodbyes to Siobhan, telling her that we would come and visit again as soon as all of the drama had passed. And before we knew it we were back on the road.

This time Klaus was a lot more talkative with me. Asking questions about what I thought of Siobhan and how I liked the cottage. We chatted for hours, about the stories that had been told the night before and I was glad that the happy and relaxed Klaus was still present.

It was into hour 6 that the conversation started to dry up and the only thing that could be heard was the music in the background.

"What happened yesterday?" Klaus asked, turning the music all of the way down so that now the car was completely silent.

"Nothing. It's fine." I tried to brush him off but he wouldn't relent.

"Caroline, I know something happened. You messaged me to let me know you were heading to the wake, and then ten minutes later you asked me to come and get you. What happened?" He kept his eyes on the road, but I could see the worry written all over his face.

I sighed and shifted so that I was facing him as best as I could while confined to a car. "I got into an argument with Elena. About being cured, and about Katherine. I was tired and fed up, I just snapped and let every bad thought I'd had about her flow out of me. I shouldn't have said a lot of it, but it felt good to get it out of my system."

He turned to look at me briefly before turning back to the road, his brow furrowed. "What exactly did you say?"

I laughed without humour, pulling at my nice warm sweater. "I told her that she makes everything about herself, and that she's the reason all the bad stuff has happened. It was pathetic and childish, but I was just sick of everything that has happened."

"I understand." His voice was soft, making me smile. He reached across and weaved his fingers through mine, squeezing my hand comforting in his.

I smiled and was glad that he let the conversation die down again, leaving us both in silence.

I was relieved when we drove through the busy city and reached the house on the outskirts of the town where the Mikaelson's lived. I knew that the house would be full as soon as Klaus drove up driveway because of all of the cars that were parked in the driveway. Whatever had happened, that Elijah had called Klaus about, was obviously important to everyone and not just the immediate Mikaelson family.

Klaus and I opted to leave our things in the car, heading straight inside where everyone sat talking in the parlour. The minute we entered they all stopped speaking and stared at us. I could see the worry written on all of their faces, especially Katherine's.

"I waited until we got back." Klaus started, glaring at the group in frustration. "Now, what happened that was so important?"

"Marcel's club was attacked last night. He lost several members of his inner circle."

It was Nadia who spoke, which shocked me. Given the situation I had expected Elijah to be the one to address his brother. However, he just sat in the corner staring at the back of Katherine's head.

I tried to imagine Marcel's club from being attacked by anyone other than the original family and I struggled. From what I had heard it was one of the safest places in New Orleans, due to the amount of vampires Marcel had working for him.

I looked across at Klaus who now looked angry. He crossed his arms across his chest and glared at him older brother, who still didn't budge from watching Katherine. I sighed. An attack. Just what we needed right now. I walked over and sat down next to Hayley on the spare seat, my muscles aching from the long drive here.

"What happened?" Klaus growled, and I flinched at the fury that was in his voice. I had been at the other end of that voice before and I would hate to be Nadia right now.

Nadia took a deep breath and looked at Katherine from the corner of her eyes. Katherine in turn shifted and placed her face in her hands. I watched the exchange and I instantly knew who it was that did the attack. I didn't mention that I knew, keeping quiet while we all waited for Katherine to answer Klaus.

"Marcel was having another party in the club and had invited everyone. That everyone extended to Elijah, Rebekah, Nadia, and I. Rebekah and I were the only ones who went, trying to make sure Marcel wouldn't get suspicious, leaving the others here to watch over Hayley. Everything was fine for the first hour or so, but then Andrei arrived with a witch on his arm."

Katherine paused, looking down at her hands. She then looked up at Rebekah who was scowling at the memory of what had happened. "Andrei brought a _witch_ to a Marcels?"

The incredulity in Klaus' voice made me almost laugh, but it was the look on his face that made me stop. From what information Klaus and everyone else had given me about Marcel was that he had a dislike for witches, especially when they intruded on his turf.

"And I guess you can imagine Marcels reaction to that. Andrei played dumb, saying he hadn't realised it was that bad of a thing, then he sent the witch off. Andrei apologised, to which Marcel forgave him, but you know Marcel made a point that Andrei would remember. Rebekah and I decided that we had had enough and that we were going to head back. That's when a whole coven of witches attacked. They tried to blow up the whole building with their magic, but Marcel managed to have some sort of protective shield around it. When the witches realised they weren't going to win they fled. That was after they had killed 5 of Marcels 'family', day walkers."

I still couldn't figure out why Katherine felt guilty. From her recount of events it didn't seem like she had anything to worry about.

"Tell them what else happened." Rebekah said, sneering at Katherine.

Katherine sighed and stood up from where she sat, walking over to the window. "I recognised the coven of witches that attacked. They aren't from around here. In fact, they're from Bulgaria. And one of their elders was the person Andrei had arrived with. I didn't realise the significance until after the attack. Because I didn't want to think that Andrei would orchestrate an attack on his own kind."

We all sat in silence for ages. I could tell that Klaus was strategizing in his own head. My legs started to cramp from sitting in the same position for a while, exacerbated by the car trip earlier. I stood up, stretching and walking over to stand next to Katherine.

"It's not your fault that you didn't notice, Katherine." She looked at me confused, obviously not seeing how she wasn't in the wrong. "You haven't known Andrei for 500 years. He's a different person now than he was then. You weren't to know that he was setting up an ambush."

"Why do you say it was an ambush?"

It was Elijah who spoke, and I turned around to look at him where he still sat in the corner. He looked at me questioningly. And somehow I knew he was testing me. Seeing if I had the ability to understand battle strategy. I raised my eyebrows at him.

"Of course it was and an ambush. I mean, Andrei brought this 'elder' with him knowing that Marcel doesn't like witches, which gave the witch just enough time to look at the layout of the building before he had to leave. The witch probably went straight to their coven and told them everything. Then they waited until it was clear that Marcel had forgiven Andrei before they attacked. However, their attack had nothing to do with wanting to hurt Marcel. That first witch would have instantly known about any protection placed on the building. So when they did attack, although they went all out and even killed some people, they weren't intending to do maximum damage."

I stopped, taking a deep breath while still looking at Elijah before continuing. "During the attack I'm guessing that Andrei joined in in the defence, so that no one would suspect that he had anything to do with it. Also, I can guess that that witch he brought with him wasn't a part of the attack because they didn't want the two to be recognised as a joint thing. They wanted Andrei to be separated from the attack so that he can remain trusted by Marcel. What they probably weren't counting on was the fact that Katherine knows the coven, and can identify and connect the witch to said coven. But I don't think their target was Marcel at all. They wanted it to seem that way, but I think their real target it you guys. Which is quite obvious when you take into account that they could have attacked Marcel at any point over the space of time between you leaving and Marcel gaining control, but they waited for you to return."

When I finished everyone was staring at me in shock. Elijah seemed to be impressed by my insight, which I was happy about, but everyone else seemed just confused by how much I seemed to know by the little amount of information given about the attack. I returned back to the seat I had been sitting in and leant back into the cushions, getting comfortable. I saw Klaus smile out of the corner of my eyes, and I felt a sense of achievement inside at having some sort of approval from him.

"That's an interesting take, Caroline." Elijah said, still looking at me. "I didn't think about the prospect that they could have wanted to get to us rather than Marcel. I just have one question. Why attack Marcel at all, that takes away an element of surprise, doesn't it?"

I thought over that for a moment before deciding on an explanation. "Well, they didn't count on Katherine linking the witch to the coven. If Marcel had been attacked by witches, and you believed the actual target was Marcel, then you would probably help him in hunting down the witches and/or protecting him from them. Which would mean although you would be expecting an attack, you would expect it to be aimed at you guys."

Elijah nodded his head, leaning back in the wooden chair he was sitting in. Klaus walked over to sit next to me, on the arm of the couch, placing his hand on my shoulder. Katherine still stood by the window, her back turned to the group, feeling guilty. She growled softly, running a hand through her perfect hair. "What do we do now then?"


	30. Begin Again Relaunch Notice

BEGIN AGAIN RELAUNCH AUTHORS NOTE:

Hello! I wanted to apologise to everyone who has been following this story and has been wondering what has happened. I'm still planning on finishing this story, however, at the end of last year I had to focus very much on school and for the start of this year I wanted to focus all my attention to starting a YouTube channel (paigereadsandwrites) and working on an actual novel I'm currently writing. My own personal projects have been very important to me recently now that I am no longer in school. I have had to put a lot of time and effort into these things, which means I had to set aside my FanFictions for the time being.

I do, however, have some very exciting news. I have decided to re-outline, re-write, and re-launch this story. This means that I have completely re-outlined the book (although a lot of the events still happen in the same order), I am starting to rewrite and edit the fanfiction as we speak in the hopes to relaunch the story within a few months.

I'm not sure when I will be relaunching this updated version of the story, but I will post here the minute my new story is up on the website. Please be patient with me, and hopefully within the next few months this new story will be up and running and ready for you all to read. I look forward to seeing you all again really soon.

(If you have any questions please message me)

-IShipKlaroline2598


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